The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up a pretty successful first day of the 2017 NFL draft, and now prepare to get busy on day two. The 49ers traded down from No. 2 to No. 3, and then traded up from No. 34 to No. 31. They left the evening with Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas and linebacker Reuben Foster, along with the Chicago Bears third round pick this year and next year. Not a bad haul.
As the 49ers get ready for day two, here is where things stand for the next two days.
1. First round: Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
2. First round: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
3. Third round: Own - No. 2 (66 overall)
4. Third round: Chicago Bears - No. 3 (67 overall)
5. Fourth round: Own - No. 2 (109 overall)
6. Fourth round: Comp pick - No. 37 (143 overall)
7. Fifth round: Own - No. 2 (146 overall)
8. Fifth round: Washington (Derek Carrier trade) - No. 17 (161 overall)
9. Sixth round: Baltimore Ravens (Jeremy Zuttah trade) - No. 14 (198 overall)
10. Sixth round: Denver Broncos (Vernon Davis trade) - No. 18 (202 overall)
11. Seventh round: Cleveland Browns (Andy Lee trade) - No. 1 (219 overall)
The 49ers do not have a pick in the second round, but they certainly have the capital to make a move up from the third round. The 49ers have their own draft value chart, but looking at the Jimmy Johnson chart, if they packaged both third round picks, they could move up as high as No. 39. If they packaged No. 66 with No. 109, they could potentially move up ten or so spots. The point being, if they want to get aggressive, they could easily do it.
With nine picks remaining, it’s time to consider the team’s needs. They have a lot of needs, but some prominent ones would include (no particular order):
Quarterback
Cornerback
Safety
Wide receiver
Offensive line
Running back
Tight end
You could consider edge rusher and strong-side linebacker potential needs as well. For now, I think cornerback is probably the biggest short-term need. Considering the consensus belief is that this is the deepest cornerback class in a long time, the 49ers are in prime position to add some quality talent, even if they wait until No. 66 comes up. Whether or not they decide to move up will depend entirely on who starts to slip. I don’t think they move all the way up into the top third of the second round, but after that, things could get interesting.
On a side note, we’ll have a full rundown after the draft, but for the time being, the 49ers have nine picks in the 2018 NFL draft. They have their seven, plus the Chicago Bears third round pick, and I believe the Kansas City Chiefs seventh round pick for the Kenneth Acker trade.