Mixed Issues: General Manager And HC Trade One Giant Player, Acquired QB From Cowboys

This is improbable given how the 49ers have tackled CB1 under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.

The San Francisco 49ers have needs, just like any other NFL club, but this upcoming draft offers a critical chance to improve the depth of the squad.

This doesn’t mean the Niners can’t move about, especially up the draft order, if a talent they really want falls to them.

A player who could change the game and give the team fresh life and talent may be added in this way.

It’s possible that the 49ers’ forced draft capital sacrifices are not worth the expense of moving up in the first round. However, no one blames San Francisco anymore for Christian McCaffrey’s trade. Nope. Trey Lance is all that is said.

After going over every club to determine what to do in the first round, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell came to the conclusion that the 49ers should trade up to choose a player in a position they haven’t picked in the previous two rounds under the Kyle Shanahan/John Lynch regime.

Despite a few player losses this summer, the 49ers still have one of the strongest rosters in the NFL.

If general manager John Lynch decides to make a little move up the board, he also has two more fourth-round picks and an extra sixth-round pick to work with.

Even though this administration hasn’t traditionally placed a high emphasis on cornerbacks, it could make sense to attempt to pick ahead of the competition after what happened in the Super Bowl.

Instead of selecting an early-round prospect for the position, the front administration has opted to go with veteran players like Richard Sherman and Charvarius Ward.

On the other hand, the team seems okay with passing on Day 3 options like Emmanuel Moseley, Deommodore Lenoir, and Ambry Thomas when it comes to CB2.

The way the squad tackles one cornerback position as opposed to the other differs noticeably. Could the draft this year alter that?

It’s unlikely to occur on the first day, though. By selection No. 25, all of the best cornerbacks in the draft are expected to be gone.

Most draft boards rank Quinyon Mitchell, Nate Wiggins, Terrion Arnold, and Cooper Dejean as their top four picks. In my opinion, only Wiggins and Mitchell should be selected in the first round; the other players don’t live up to the hype.

After the initial group of cornerbacks, there seems to be a decline in performance, and the 49ers may not draft again until after their second-round selection. After the first round, the bulk of cornerbacks are ranked in the late 50s to early 80s.

The positional strengths in this draft are known to the 49ers. It’s doubtful that Isaac Yiadom, the starting cornerback, will be replaced by a Day 3 cornerback.

The juice isn’t worth the squeeze at cornerback unless it’s Wiggins or Mitchell, and even then, moving up could still be too expensive.