2018 NFL mock draft: 4 rounds of fury, but imagine the trade possibilities

The 2017 college football season is coming down the home stretch, and while we only have one huge ranked vs. ranked matchup, this weekend still provides some fun games to watch. We get two big rivalry matchups on the West Coast, with Cal and Stanford squaring off in the big game, and USC hosting UCLA. This will serve as our open thread for today’s college action.

For this week, we’re back with a look at Draft Wire’s impressive four-round NFL mock draft. The 49ers have their own first and third round picks, but traded away their second and fourth round picks. They hold the New Orleans Saints second round pick and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fourth round pick. Here are the picks made, with the opponent they are facing this weekend (all times PT).

1(2). Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State (vs. Nebraska, 1:00 p.m., FS1)
2(60). Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis (vs. SMU, 9:00 a.m., ESPNN)
3(66). Billy Price, OL, Ohio State (vs. Illinois, 12:30 p.m., ABC)
3(74). D.J. Reed, CB, Kansas State (@ No. 13 Oklahoma State, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2)
4(127). Tyquan Lewis, EDGE, Ohio State (vs. Illinois, 12:30 p.m., ABC)

The 49ers have a lot of ways they can go with their early picks. One of the downsides to most mock drafts is we don’t see trade possibilities. Projecting trades is a shot in the dark in a lot of ways because aside from figuring out the 49ers needs, we have to ponder 31 other teams.

If the 49ers end up with pick No. 2, a trade down makes a ton of sense. The price would need to be right, but with the potential for a quarterback to be available, a trade down seems more likely than not. Plenty can and will change between now and next April, but for the time being, the 49ers could be in the driver’s seat for a significant haul of picks.

Here’s the full schedule of Saturday football. All times PT.