The start of a new week means a lot of mock drafts arrive. This week is particularly notable because it is the Monday after the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams. That sent three months of mock drafts down the drain, and essentially reset that whole process. Maybe it's a good thing since people often get stuck in the same mindsets, in spite of evidence to the contrary.
Dan Kadar released his latest 2016 NFL mock draft, and like many, he has Carson Wentz and Jared Goff going 1-2. It is possible those two will flip-flop, but odds seem pretty decent of quarterbacks going at the top. If that does happen, it guarantees some notable talent will slip to the San Francisco 49ers. In this mock, Dan has the 49ers selecting Oregon defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Here's what he has to say about the pick:
Considering how many teams above San Francisco are a good fit for Buckner, it might be unlikely that he's available with the seventh overall pick in the draft. He would give the 49ers another talented piece on a defensive line that features Buckner's former college teammate Arik Armstead.
In putting together his mock draft, Dan mentioned two other options for each team. For the 49ers, he suggests Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, or a trade up.
The 49ers have moved up in the first round during Trent Baalke's time with the 49ers. In 2010, they moved up from No. 13 to No. 11 to select Anthony Davis. In 2013, they moved up from No. 31 to No. 18 to select Eric Reid. The latter trade was a big move up, but moving into the middle of the first round is significantly easier than moving from the middle to the top. Moving up from No. 7 would not be a back-breaking cost, but it would still cost some notable assets.
We don't really know where things stand on Baalke's draft board, but at this point, I think a trade down is more likely than a trade up. If there is a talent he thinks will slip, maybe he does what he did last year, and trade down a couple spots. It's hard to say for certain. If both Jared Goff and Carson Wentz are drafted in the first six picks, it moves more talent down. Of course, if one of the two quarterbacks slip, it also opens the door for someone wanting to move up for a quarterback.
So what do you think? Will we see the 49ers make a trade with No. 7, or will they end up making the pick?