49ers make surprising first-round trade in analyst’s draft projections
The 49ers could make a small trade to move up in the 2026 NFL draft.
The San Francisco 49ers are no strangers to trades on draft day. They moved up nine spots in 2021 to draft quarterback Trey Lance — a decision that didn't pan out well but proved the team isn't afraid of big moves. While the 49ers may not want to make that big of a swing in 2026, ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote about a smaller trade-up San Francisco could do in this year's draft.
In this scenario, the 49ers trade the Nos. 27, 127 and 133 to the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 24 pick.
Barnwell added that the 49ers could use that pick on an offensive piece that could fit into a long-term plan, like Washington's Denzel Boston. ... John Lynch's team has four fourth-round picks, all coming between Nos.
127 and 139. I'd expect the 49ers to use some of those picks while they jump around the first three rounds of the draft, either to move up early or as a package to get back into the third round. In this scenario, they're trying to jump teams that are thinking about edge talents and wide receivers.