© Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK
Predicting What the 49ers Will do in Round 1 of the NFL Draft
There are plenty of scenarios that can play out for the 49ers the first round of the NFL draft. Here is the one scenario I believe will occur tonight.
There are plenty of scenarios that can play out for the San Francisco 49ers tonight in the first round of the NFL draft.
They could look to trade up in the draft, which would potentially cost them either Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. They could move up without giving up either of them, stay at pick No. 31, or trade down into the second round to accumulate more picks.
It is tough to imagine what they will do and who they will even get, but I think there is one scenario that the 49ers will try to make realistic. I believe the 49ers will end up trading down from pick No. 31 tonight. Trading up in the first round is surely their top priority, which is why they are willing to move off of Samuel or Aiyuk for it.
However, Samuel and Aiyuk have complicated contract situations. Samuel has an unattractive contract, while Aiyuk will be due for a lucrative contract extension. It doesn't seem like a fair trade off for a team who has to give up a highly coveted first round pick and take on their contracts.
Staying put at pick No. 31 is a feasible possibility as well, but it is hard to see who will be there that is worth immobilizing. The best bet for the 49ers is to trade down and accumulate a lot of day two draft picks. The 49ers could end up finding a couple of quality depth and maybe even an impact starter there.
This will also involve them trading up with their day three picks, which I believe they should package a haul of them in order to gain one or two picks on day two. Forget drafting late. This is the draft where they desperately need the more polished prospects that don't need a ton of development.
Of course, I could be completely wrong, but this is what makes the NFL draft fun. It is the total unknown that makes it exciting with what a team does and who they draft. We'll get our answers soon enough with what the 49ers will do.
