San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch declared himself ready to deal when it comes to the 2018 NFL Draft — whether that means trading up or down. But after seeing the New York Jets move up from sixth overall to third overall in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts and the price of doing so, don’t count on a move up.
The Jets, in addition to swapping firsts with Indianapolis, sent two second-round picks in 2018 and another in 2019. So, they gave three second-round picks to move up three spots. Of course, spots in the top five are worth more than one or two spots in front of the 49ers, so if they really like one player who is there at seven, it’s not out of the realm of possibility they move up.
But it would still surprise me. The 49ers know the value of a second-round pick, and while there is a ton of optimism for the coming season, they know they need several promising young players to build around.
Plus, the 49ers sent a second-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Now, that doesn’t automatically make second-round picks more valuable because it may have led to a franchise quarterback, but it’s something to consider.
The 49ers, in any trade to move up, would have to give up ninth overall, plus the second-round pick they got from the New Orleans Saints, and more on top of that, at the very least a second-round pick in 2019. Saquon Barkley, Bradley Chubb, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Quenton Nelson might be worth that, but it’s not a price the 49ers will be willing to pay.
On top of that, I bet the 49ers won’t have many suitors for trading down either, at least not at a premium, because the important quarterbacks will be gone by then. The Buffalo Bills will probably move up, and soon, and they’ll get well in front of the 49ers, I think.