2018 NFL mock draft: Getting two picks in a trade down

The San Francisco 49ers currently hold the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. They appear to have found their quarterback of the future in Jimmy Garoppolo, which opens up all sorts of flexibility in the first round. A trade down will depend on another team prepared to move up, but there would seem to be a strong possibility for a move down.

SB Nation’s Dan Kadar put together his latest 2018 NFL mock draft, and he decided to play around with a 49ers trade down. In this example, he has the Buffalo Bills moving up from their current No. 18 position to draft USC quarterback Sam Darnold at No. 4. In return, the 49ers get the Bills first round pick (No. 18), the Kansas City Chiefs first round pick (Bills acquired in Patrick Mahomes trade), and then either a second round pick this year or a first round pick in 2019.

That leaves the 49ers with two picks in this year’s first round, and Kadar went for a boost to the skill positions. He has the 49ers selecting LSU running back Derrius Guice at No. 18, and then Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley at No. 21.

Here’s what he had to say about each of the picks. But picks aside, do you think the 49ers will be able to swing that kind of deal that nets them upwards of three first round picks? Quarterback is a premium position, and if a third quarterback potentially goes in the top ten, the 49ers might be in business to do some serious damage.

18. San Francisco 49ers (via Buffalo Bills): Derrius Guice, RB, LSU

For the 49ers there's a great risk in dropping back this far. This team desperately needs guard help and Price and Nelson just came off the board. That could lead them to the draft's second-best running back in Guice. The LSU back has excellent vision and knows how to pick his run lanes.

For a team in the process of rebuilding a roster, trading a top five pick for two first-round picks and a second-round pick could help accelerate things for head coach Kyle Shanahan.

21. San Francisco 49ers (via Bills, from Kansas City Chiefs): Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

Marquise Goodwin is a solid player for the 49ers, but he doesn't profile as being a No. 1 receiver. Ridley, the draft's top wide receiver, can be that lead wide out for Jimmy Garoppollo. After getting two offensive skill players in the first round, San Francisco should take at least two offensive linemen in the second and third rounds, if possible.