While the 49ers have more draft picks this year than they did a season ago, and with more gaps to fill those draft picks, it still wouldn’t be a surprise to see them in the first round of the No. 12 overall pick. . ESPN’s Todd McShay illustrated a scenario where San Francisco goes back to raise significant design capital, but his roster is a bit puzzled.
A trade back would make a lot of sense for the 49ers in a scenario where all four quarterbacks go into the first four picks, and that’s how McShay’s mock plays out. If San Francisco stayed at 12 as a quarterback, it would probably have to be one of the top players like Zach Wilson, Justin Fields or Trey Lance. The odds of them taking a QB to take one with the 12th pick seems low.
Without the top QBs slipping away, the 49ers trade with the Bears. Chicago will get the 12th pick in exchange for # 20, # 52 and a first or second round roster in the 2022 draft. That’s a huge effort for San Francisco to jump back eight places where they are still in the top 20. It would also give them two second round picks they could use to either maneuver to the back of the first round, or deal to score a third round pick after sending theirs to Washington in the Trent Williams -transaction.
All of this makes sense for San Francisco. Their choice through McShay is a bit confusing given their laundry list of needs. With the No. 20 pick, the 49ers in McShay’s mock draft exude TCU safety Trevon Moehrig.
The 6-2, 202-pound safety could potentially be a long-term answer for the 49ers’ secondary with Jaquiski Tartt heading for free agency and Jimmie Ward’s future uncertain outside of his contract expiring after the 2022 season. Moehrig probably won’t be in a box -safety-role steps like the ones Tartt often occupied. If the 49ers choose him, it could mean a change in defensive philosophy, or a move for Ward to a nickel cornerback with K’Waun Williams for unrestricted free choice.
Another player available at No. 20 is Michigan’s defensive end, Kwity Paye, who goes 21st to the Colts in McShay’s mock. Paye is a 6-4, 272 pound defensive end who has scored 16.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in his last 16 games for the Wolverines. He’s a good athlete with some versatility who could play well on a 49ers front in dire need of help.
While the player made with the choice can be debated, and the needs of the team are likely to change after free agency, this type of buyback can be expected once the offer is there. Unless the 49ers believe there is a can’t-miss prospect at age 12, they should shove back a few places to pick up some design capital that gives them more flexibility on days 2 and 3 in a year where they need to replenish their selection with cheap rookie talent.