What Will 49ers Do if Shedeur Sanders Drops to 11th Pick in NFL Draft?

The 49ers must be prepared for the following scenario to unfold on draft night.

Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The 49ers must be prepared for the following scenario to unfold on draft night.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders could be available when the 49ers are on the clock with the 11th pick. Earlier this offseason, he was projected to get drafted in the top two, but his draft stock has cooled the past couple months.

And now, it seems likely he'll fall out of the top 10 if the Saints don't take him with the 9th pick. And they might take him because their quarterback, Derek Carr, could miss the entire upcoming season with a shoulder injury.

But if the Saints don't take Sanders with the 9th pick, then the Bears definitely won't take him with the 10th considering they just drafted Caleb Williams with the first pick last season. So there's a legitimate chance that Sanders will be there for the 49ers when it's their turn to pick.

What will they do?

They could do nothing, take the highest-graded non-quarterback on their board and let Sanders fall to the Steelers or possibly the Rams. They might take a quarterback in Round 1 this year considering Matthew Stafford is getting old.

Or, the 49ers could try to trade down. Maybe the Steelers or the Rams would be willing to give the 49ers something for him.

Or, the 49ers could take Sanders themselves.

They don't currently need a quarterback -- they recently signed Mac Jones and they still have Brock Purdy. But Purdy wants a contract extension that would pay him more than $50 million per season and he's just not worth that much.

What better way for the 49ers to tell Purdy that they're not giving him $50 million per season than to draft Sanders in Round 1? Suddenly, the 49ers wouldn't be desperate to pay Purdy whatever he wants. They'd have his replacement on the roster already if he were to request a trade.

Trading Purdy probably would be the 49ers' best course of action. Because they'll never build a team as good as the one that lost in the Super Bowl last year while Purdy is getting paid more than $50 million per season.

They'd do better with Sanders on a rookie deal.