Peter King predicts the Patriots trading up to 13 to select a QB

We have officially reached draft week, which means the rumors will be endless. Peter King does one mock draft a year the Monday before the NFL Draft. In his FMIA column, King has CeeDee Lamb going to the Raiders, Jerry Jeudy going to the Broncos, but the 49ers not taking a receiver at 13. Why? Because they traded with the Patriots, who moved up to 13 to select Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. In this scenario, San Francisco moves down to pick No. 23, while Justin Jefferson and Henry Ruggs each go two spots ahead of the 49ers. The Niners selected offensive tackle, Josh Jones, from Houston:

In this projection, I’d have the Niners moving to 23 and getting New England’s first-round pick in 2021. Good value, but it won’t help John Lynch trying to get a pick or two in the two-day gulf between picks 31 and 156. So I think the Niners look to trade one of their two first-rounders again, so they can add an extra pick in round two or three. If they stay here, tackle’s the right call. With Joe Staley having either one year or zero years left, it’s a good time to pick a long-term tackle. Jones started for four years at left tackle—45 games—and that’s not something you can say for many collegiate tackles these days.

Jones is a stud and a perfect fit for the 49ers offense. The team has also met with the left tackle. Jones has a chance to be a poor man’s version of Saints left tackle Terron Armstead, who is one of the most physically gifted tackles in the league. Jones plus a future first-round pick is going to be better than just about any outcome you draw up. What would the 49ers do at 31, now?

King has Dallas trading back into the first round for Michigan’s center Cesar Ruiz, which is the most plausible outcome and makes too much sense not to happen. In this scenario, the 49ers move down 20 spots to pick No. 51 and add Dallas’s third-round pick at 82 overall. According to the trade value chart, the Cowboys would have to send over their fourth or fifth-round pick to get this deal done. King said he believes the Niners wanted to add one “big-body plugger” in the middle of the defensive line and one receiver, and this deal does the trick. At 51 overall, you’re looking at players like USC’s Michael Pittman, or perhaps TCU’s Jalen Reagor.

How would you feel about these trades?