49ers 2023 NFL Draft: Three Predictions to Take to the Bank
The 2023 NFL Draft is finally here. The San Fransisco 49ers will likely be spectators through the first 98 picks, but that doesn't mean we can't try and pin down what they're going to do. The team still has a very good roster, but John Lynch and co. have holes to fill and there are […]
The 2023 NFL Draft is finally here.
The San Fransisco 49ers will likely be spectators through the first 98 picks, but that doesn't mean we can't try and pin down what they're going to do. The team still has a very good roster, but John Lynch and co. have holes to fill and there are plenty of breadcrumbs out there that provide hints for what they may do.
It's the draft, so anything can happen. But, you're good to go ahead and write these predictions down in stone.
The 49ers aren't trading Trey Lance during the draft
I'll go ahead and double-down and say they aren't going to trade him before the season, too.
All one needs to do is go back and listen to everything that Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have said since the Annual League Meetings back in March. Sure, the 49ers have taken a couple of calls from teams interested in Lance, but that's merely them doing due diligence and simply gauging the situation.
There's no guarantee Brock Purdy is ready to start by Week 1. The 49ers need capable bodies at the position and they know Purdy's 2022 season was far more the exception than the rule. Trading Lance and drafting another mid- to late-round rookie is a major gamble they won't take. Excluding sunk cost theory, keeping Lance on the roster makes more sense, right now, than it would to trade him.
"I expect Trey to be here and we’re excited about Trey’s ability to compete and what he can do for our franchise just as we were when we drafted Trey," Lynch said recently. "… We’re just excited about having three really quality quarterbacks in our room and letting those guys go out and compete and vie for a job. We’re excited about that.”
The 49ers won't trade any of their picks in Round 3
According to Rich Hill's trade value chart, picks 99, 101, and 102 total 108 points, which is about the equivalent of the 52nd overall pick in the second round.
Moving up just outside of the top-50 is awfully tempting, especially considering the available prospects that would be able to help the 49ers. Players like Darnell Washington, Cam Smith, Quan Martin, and even Anton Harrison could all be there at 52 and each player would log snaps in 2023.
But, Lynch has repeatedly talked about how the 49ers like the depth in this draft. Plus, they pretty much control their destiny from No. 99-102. Think of it like owning the No. 1 or last pick in a fantasy football snake draft: Outside of the Las Vegas Raiders at 100, the 49ers will be able to take what pretty much constitutes as their top-3 players on their board.
"I really believe at 99 at 101, 102, and 155, there’s going to be players we really like and want to add to our team and that has me encouraged," said Lynch.
That, in itself, is all they need to realize that it's better to stay put than trade up.
The 49ers will take a tight end with one of their first two picks
Right now, the 49ers tight end room consists of George Kittle (great), Ross Dwelley (meh), and Charlie Woerner (who?). Kittle is obviously one of the NFL's best tight ends, but Dwelley and Woerner have combined for a total of 34 receptions, 594 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns since the 2020 season.
In other words: The 49ers need another tight end and when considering how much Shanahan likes to use tight ends, it makes even more sense for them to take one with either of the first two picks in the draft.
There should be several solid options like Luke Schoonmaker, Tucker Kraft, Davis Allen, and Zach Kuntz for the 49ers to choose from, as well.
