The 49ers aren’t loaded with picks in the 2020 NFL draft. Trades involving three of their picks have put them in a bind they haven’t been in in recent years. They have just six picks going into the draft, and only one in the first four rounds.
Here is the 49ers’ full list of draft picks before the distribution of compensatory picks:
Round 1, Pick 31
Round 5, Pick 139 (via Denver)
Round 5, Pick 159
Round 6, Pick 191
Round 7, Pick 195 (via Detroit)
Round 7, Pick 223
Compensatory selections will push some of those picks further down the board, but it doesn’t change the stark absence of Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) and early Day 3 (Rounds 4-7) picks.
General manager John Lynch and the 49ers’ front office will need to get creative with their draft capital to accumulate some more assets.
The good news is they don’t have any glaring holes where they need a ton of high-value draft picks to find starting caliber players. Filling in depth spots with mid and late-round picks can work on next year’s 49ers squad, especially if they hit on them at the rate they have the last three drafts. George Kittle and Dre Greenlaw were both fifth-round selections. Left guard Laken Tomlinson was acquired for a fifth, and offensive lineman Justin Skule was scooped up in Round 6.
Perhaps the 49ers use their No. 31 pick for a high-quality player at a position of need. That would make sense if they lose starting free safety Jimmie Ward or starting defensive lineman Arik Armstead in free agency. Then they could use their bevy of late picks to try and slide up to the third or fourth round and start filling out the fringes of the roster that way.
They might also trade that 31st pick for one or two Day 2 selections and try to hit on those mid-round picks the way they have under Lynch’s guidance.
While getting quality players on inexpensive rookie deals is a key component to building a lasting contender, it’s not vital for the 49ers in 2020 the way it was the last three years. They can afford to forego those earlier picks if trade partners don’t materialize. It may make for a less exciting draft, but it means the 49ers are in much better shape going into the year than they’ve been since the early 2010s.
