It is no secret the San Francisco 49ers are looking to move back from the No. 2 pick. General manager John Lynch said the team is open for business with the pick, confirming what most people already thought.
The question then becomes, can they convince someone to move all the way up to No. 2? They could face a problem with that due to other teams just below them having their own phones open. MMQB columnist Peter King reported on Monday that he is hearing the 49ers, Chicago Bears (No. 3), and New York Jets (No. 6) are the teams looking hardest to move down from their picks.
With Myles Garrett likely going No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Browns, that No. 2 pick has everybody else available. There is no clear second best player, but rather, a handful of really intriguing options. If the 49ers want to move down, they will be looking for a team that is higher on one or two of those players than anybody else. One problem would be that if that team thinks the 49ers will pass on the given player, they might look to move up to No. 3 or No. 6 instead. It would still be a costly move up, but less so than doing a deal with the 49ers.
Some examples? We’ve heard the Carolina Panthers are interested in Leonard Fournette. If they think the Jacksonville Jaguars might want Fournette, a move to No. 3 instead of No. 2 could make it happen. We’ve heard multiple reports that the 49ers are interested in Fournette, but we don’t know if that’s a smoke-screen, or legit.
Another example is the Cleveland Browns. If they really want to get North Carolina quarterback (and Ohio native) Mitchell Trubisky, do they think he can last until No. 12? or do they look to climb up ahead of some possible landing spots? A move to the 49ers pick at No. 2 would guarantee them Trubisky, but would be costly. If they think the 49ers are passing on QBs this year, maybe they move up to No. 3 or No. 6.
I really have no idea what to make of the trade market at this point. I would love to see the 49ers move down and corral a bunch of picks, but you need a team willing to move up for the right price. I’m skeptical of that happening, but maybe someone like the Panthers or Browns will get greedy!