NFL Draft- Trade Options for 49ers #2 Pick

The San Francisco 49ers have gone from being one of the more exciting teams to watch in the NFL led by head coach Jim Harbaugh to a rudderless ship without a captain after the failed Chip Kelly experiment. Over the last month, the 49ers have decided to go in a new direction with the hiring of Kyle Shanahan as their head coach under the guidance of new and first time GM John Lynch. Unlike other franchises who hire experienced coaches like the Bears hiring John Fox or when the Chiefs hired Andy Reid, the 49ers set themselves on a rebuilding path led by two men who are relatively new in their new positions.

After a disastrous 2016 season in which they managed to win just 2 games, the 49ers have many tough decisions to make this off-season with over $40 million dollars in cap space and a flurry of draft picks including the #2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Over the last few days and weeks though there seems to be some speculation surrounding the 49ers commitment to their #2 pick as well as their views on the long-term future of the QB position. GM John Lynch made some comments recently regarding their draft pick and Lynch stated, “It gives us a lot of flexibility to do some other things if we chose to be bold. There are going to be people that covet the pick we have, so there's going to be some people that want to move up” this coming from Eric Branch and Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. Could this signal that the 49ers are willing to trade out of the #2 spot in the draft and if so, what would they ask for and who would they target? One name to keep an eye on is Alabama LB Reuben Foster.

Over the last few days there seems to be some growing belief that Foster could be a target for San Francisco in the draft per Vic Carucci of Buffalo News, and if that’s the case maybe trading back is the best option for the 49ers. This might also be a god option for John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan is they do indeed decide to trade for a QB like Kirk Cousins rather than draft one in the early rounds like Mitch Trubisky or DeShone Kizer. If the 49ers go this route, which teams might be the most intrigued to trade up to the #2 spot? Let’s take a look at four potential trade options for the 49ers if they do decide to trade the #2 overall pick:

Chicago Bears

Now this option may be the least interesting of the bunch but it might be the most obvious choice. Chicago looks to be a re-tooling franchise right now and with the Cutler era ending in the Windy City, the Bears look to be in need for a fresh start at QB. Not only would this trade benefit the Bears enabling them to secure their QB of the future but the trade also benefits the 49ers keeping them in the top 3 while obtaining a few picks in the process which could be used in a package to acquire Cousins from Washington. We saw this trade back in 2012 when the Browns traded up one spot to draft RB Trent Richardson and we could see it again this year if the 49ers decide to trade with the Bears.

New York Jets

It’s no secret that the Jets need QB help and if they do have their eyes set on one of these young QB’s, their best bet may be to trade with San Francisco to leapfrog Chicago who is also in dire need of a QB. This might also allow the Jets to hopefully trade Sheldon Richardson and it would certainly help San Francisco on the defensive side of the ball if they could add both Foster and Richardson to their defense.

Carolina Panthers

After a Superbowl worthy season two years ago, the Cam Newton led Panthers seem to fall back down to Earth and are now looking at a top 10 pick with multiple needs. Trading up to #3 would allow the Panthers to draft the top RB Leonard Fournette which would give the Panthers very dangerous offense or they could draft the top CB and replace what they have missed since the departure of CB Josh Norman. This trade would also keep the 49ers in the top 10 and enable them to draft Foster as well as make a move for a QB with the extra picks they get from this trade.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints seem to be one of these teams in limbo because they do not have a top 5 pick yet they are not a playoff team. With an aging Drew Brees and a defense that seems to always have issues, why not make a statement in the draft and make that big trade that could allow the Saints to take a top defender like Jonathan Allen or Solomon Thomas or even the top RB in Fournette which would certainly give Brees and the Saints some help in the run game. In return the 49ers could receive a WR like Brandin Cooks, whose name has pooped up in trade rumors, along with some draft picks but the downside is that the Saints pick may be out of reach for Foster. This trade is the most unlikely out of the bunch but it would give the 49ers a top WR option along with draft picks and this could out of the four listed might yield the biggest return.