49ers trade back to pick up draft capital in new mock draft
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan could break from tradition with the No. 27 pick in the 2026 draft.
The No. 27 pick in the 2026 NFL draft is a prime area for trading back if the San Francisco 49ers don't like what they see with the board. And that's exactly what T he Ringer's Diante Lee did for the team in his newest mock draft.
Lee had the Chicago Bears trading the Nos. 57 and 60 to move back into the first round to take Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell. The move would leave the 49ers with three second-round picks in four selections at 57, 58 and 60.
This would be a new experience for the 49ers under general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. They've never traded back and out of the first round, and have had a first-round selection every year together except in 2022 and 2023 after they had already sent those selections to the Miami Dolphins in 2021 for the No. 3 overall pick.
Doing so now would be a way for the 49ers to accumulate more shots at Day 2 picks, and possibly use those selections to move up in the second round if a player they covet falls. It's an intriguing idea, and one that only makes sense if the 49ers don't see an instant impact player at No. 27.