The San Francisco 49ers were very close to winning the Super Bowl last season after falling short at the end against the Baltimore Ravens and the team is looking to improve at the NFL draft that starts on Thursday by possibly moving up with a trade.
According to NFL.com, the 49ers are one team that is primed to move up, as they have 13 total picks and seven in rounds two through five, meaning that they will likely make a deal since their roster cannot hold that many players for next season. The report cites a story by Jason Cole at Yahoo that says they likely will move up to the top-middle part of the draft and could deal for future draft picks since they have a fairly set roster this season.
The team acquired a number of draft picks during the offseason, including a second second-round pick from the Kansas City Chiefs in the deal that sent Alex Smith to the team. The 49ers gave up picks to get Colt McCoy and Anquan Boldin, but they still have the seven through round five along with their first round pick. The team lost Dashon Goldson in free agency and could look for a safety, but according to Cole's report, Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke want a defensive lineman the most as well as a wide receiver.
A number of teams could look to trade down, including the 49ers' Bay Area counterpart in the Oakland Raiders, as they only have five picks among the first few rounds and could be looking for more. The team could trade down in the first round and give the 49ers a chance to select someone like Sharrif Floyd, while they can pick up more selections to add talent to the roster for Matt Flynn.
The Raiders acquired Flynn and signed a number of players on defense, which is one reason why many experts see them taking an offensive player with their first pick, no matter what round or where it is. General manager Reggie McKenzie signed Tracy Porter and Mike Jenkins at corner and Nick Roach and Kevin Burnett at linebacker, but that doesn't mean they will stay away from those positions either, as Jarvis Jones, Dion Jordan and Dee Milliner are all highly-touted prospects.
Some options for the 49ers include Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, as the team needs some more production for 33-year-old Justin Smith, who dealt with injuries last season and the team would like to get younger on the line. Other options include Tavon Austin at wide receiver, as his speed could combine very well with Michael Crabtree to give Colin Kaepernick more weapons, as would Robert Woods, who the team could likely get later in the draft.
The tight end position needs depth after losing Delanie Walker and this season has a number of deep options and top prospects, including Tyler Eifert and Zach Ertz, who played at Stanford where Harbaugh coached. The team likely will be able to keep five or six draft picks on the roster, meaning they may make more than one deal with their number 31 pick. The 49ers could also try to trade up to the 10th or 11th spots if a player they like starts to slip, but either way the team should be making moves with how many picks they have.
