The San Francisco have had their fifth in-house free agent depart, with tight end Logan Paulsen agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Paulsen served as primarily a blocking tight end, and was part of the roster manipulation that helped the team bring players back and forth. The 49ers signed and released him three separate times last year.
Paulsen joins Tank Carradine, Brandon Fusco, Aaron Lynch, and Carlos Hyde in finding a new home for 2018. By comparison, the 49ers have signed qualifying four free agents, including Weston Richburg, Jerick McKinnon, Jerry Attaochu, and Jonathan Cooper.
By “qualifying,” I mean players who would qualify for the comp pick formula. Richard Sherman would not fall into that because he was released by the Seattle Seahawks.
A team can get comp picks when they have more free agent departures than additions. Over The Cap does a good job tracking qualifying free agent additions and departures. They project rounds based on contracts, and have generally done a good job nailing it down.
For the 49ers additions, they equate Richburg’s contract with a fourth round pick, McKinnon’s with a fifth round pick, and Attaochu and Cooper’s deals with seventh round picks. For the departures, they Fusco, Hyde, and Lynch’s deals with sixth round picks, and Tank and Paulsen’s with seventh round picks.
With all that, they currently list the 49ers as potentially scoring a sixth round comp pick because of Lynch. Hyde and Fusco offset Richburg and McKinnon, while Tank and Paulsen offset Attaochu and Cooper. The Tank, Paulsen, and Cooper contracts are all still TBD, but that’s where it stands for now. They have three players worth higher than a seventh round pick departing, and only two such players arriving, thus the current sixth round pick for Lynch.
Another option is there if Eric Reid can sign somewhere for the kind of contract he deserves. If he can secure a deal worth similar to Lynch, Fusco, or Hyde, the 49ers could end up in position for a second comp pick in the sixth round. It all depends on the kind of deal Reid secures, if he signs anywhere.