SAN FRANCISCO — The 49ers traded down and out of the first round twice on Thursday night, turning No. 27 into a larger haul and then turning No. 30 into the first pick of the second round. By the time the night ended, San Francisco had seven picks and a front-row seat to the start of Day 2.
John Lynch said there were a couple of players the 49ers would have taken at No. 27 if they had been there, but the board broke in a way that gave him room to move. San Francisco sent Nos. 27 and 138 to the Dolphins for Nos. 30 and 90, then later sent No. 30 to the Jets for Nos. 33 and 179. The result was simple enough: the 49ers slid back, picked up extra assets and still kept themselves in striking distance of the players they wanted.
The first move had been discussed before the draft as a contingency, a backstop in case the board emptied out before San Francisco got on the clock. That is exactly what happened as Akheem Mesidor went to the Chargers at No. 22, Malachi Lawrence to the Cowboys at No. 23, KC Concepcion to the Browns at No. 24 and Dillon Thienemann to the Bears at No. 25. Lynch said, “We like KC a lot,” adding that Concepcion had come out for a visit and that the team met with him at the combine.
The second trade came on the fly. Once the 49ers realized most of the players they were considering at No. 30 would be there the next day, they moved back again and let the Jets take Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at No. 30. Lynch said the 33rd pick puts the team in a really nice place and that the 49ers are always open for business. That leaves them with two picks in the second round and one in the third round on Friday, then three fourth-round picks and one fifth-round pick on Saturday.
There is a reason San Francisco was willing to keep collecting picks. The 49ers are thin on the edge, and pass rusher Cashius Howell and receiver Denzel Boston would seem to be two of the players they were weighing at No. 30. They could also add an offensive lineman or a safety on Friday. Free-agent receiver additions Mike Evans and Christian Kirk signed what amount to one-year deals, so the team has not closed the door on adding more help around the offense, either.
Shanahan also said he was surprised no one made an offer for Mac Jones on Thursday. Jones won five starts last season and is due to make $3.6 million in the final year of his two-year contract, a combination that apparently did not draw the market the 49ers expected. That leaves San Francisco with a roster puzzle that extends beyond the draft board and into the quarterback room, where the lack of movement may be as telling as the trades that did happen.
For a team that entered the draft without a third-round pick, Thursday became a reset. The 49ers walked away with more shots, more flexibility and the first pick of the second round. Now the question is whether the extra swings turn into the kind of player who makes the whole night look like the right kind of gamble.