2020 NFL Draft: Last-Minute San Francisco 49ers Rumors

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke with the media earlier this week in a virtual conference call ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Entering his fourth draft as the 49ers’ head front office guy, Lynch addressed several topics. Though, he was not really interested in getting into specific rumors outside of a couple things.

Now that the draft is set to get going Thursday evening, said rumors are heating up. Here’s a look at some of the top 49ers-related rumors leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft.

Marquise Goodwin On The Block

Lynch confirmed what has been reported for some time now. Former leading receiver Marquise Goodwin is on the trade block. Goodwin, 29, has recorded a combined 35 receptions for less than 600 yards over the past two seasons. That came after he broke out to the tune of 56 receptions for nearly 1,000 yards in his first season with San Francisco back in 2017.

Any trade involving Goodwin would likely take place on Day 3 of the draft Saturday. He’s set to count $4.91 million against the cap in 2020. Goodwin will also likely have to restructure his contract to make a trade viable. The Dallas Cowboys are among those interested.

Running Backs For Sale

San Francisco might very well like what it has in former undrafted free agent Matt Breida. There’s a reason this team placed a second-round tender on the restricted free agent. The 49ers did not want to risk losing him for nothing.

With that said, Breida joins veteran Tevin Coleman on the trade block leading up to the start of the draft on Thursday. He’s averaging a robust 5.5 yards per touch and nearly 800 total yards in three NFL seasons. Coming in with a cap hit of $3.3 million next season, interest in Breida’s services are real.

The New York Jets are among those aiming for either Breida or Coleman in trade talks. Coleman might be a harder sell for the 49ers given that he boasts a $4.87 million cap hit for next season. Though, it’s important to note that Jets head coach Adam Gase did prefer Coleman to Le’Veon Bell, who eventually signed a massive deal with the team last offseason.

Trade-Down Scenarios

Lynch talked about the possibility that San Francisco could trade down from both of its first-round picks (13th and 31st overall). The 49ers have six foundational players they would take at 13 without trading down. Obviously, the general manager would not get into detail. But here’s how I see it.

Joe Burrow, quarterback, LSU

Jeff Okudah, Cornerback, Ohio State

Isaiah Simmons, Linebacker, Clemson

Derrick Brown, Defensive Tackle, Auburn

Jerry Jeudy/Henry Ruggs Wide Receivers, Alabama

Tristan Wirfs, Offensive Tackle, Iowa

Regardless of who the six players are and whether they include a quarterback, there’s a small chance one will be available at 13. This leads me to believe San Francisco will in fact move down from that spot. This is especially true if, somehow, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is available. Teams would pay a pretty penny to move up for him.

The 31st selection is no different in that if Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma) and/or Jordan Love (Utah State) is available, teams will want to move back into the first round for the quarterback. It enables said team the ability to add a rookie with a fifth-year option on his initial contract.

This all makes sense in that San Francisco does not have a pick in Rounds 2-4. Lynch had made it clear that it wants to add more mid-round selections. Moving down from 13 and/or 31 makes a ton of sense.

Three Veteran Defenders On The Block

Shocking reports surfaced earlier this week that stud defenders Kwon Alexander (linebacker), Dee Ford (EDGE) and Jaquiski Tartt (safety) were all on the trade block. While Lynch downplayed said rumors in his pre-draft presser, at least two of the three being available in a trade makes sense.

San Francisco could not have envisioned how well rookie mid-round pick Dre Greenlaw would play as a rookie. It signed Alexander to a lofty contract one month before selecting Greenlaw. If another team is willing to give something up for the high-priced and injury-plagued Alexander, the 49ers will have to bite. The future in San Francisco seems to be Greenlaw playing next to stud fellow linebacker Fred Warner.

Tartt is a bit of a different monster. He’s coming off a 2019 season that saw the former second-round pick allow less than 100 receiving yards. At issue here is Tartt’s status as a free agent following the 2020 season. San Francisco has internal options in that of Marcell Harris and Tarvarius Moore. Of the three, Tartt would draw the most interest from other teams.

While San Francisco might like the idea of moving Ford, no team is going to bite. He’s one-year plus removed from signing a five-year, $85.5 million contract and has been injury plagued over the vast majority of his career. When on the field last season, Ford made a huge difference for the 49ers. They’ll have to retain him in hopes that the former Pro Bowler can stay healthy. If not, moving on from Ford following the 2020 season makes sense. That would save San Francisco nearly $13 million against the cap.

Fake JuJu Smith-Schuster Rumor

An erroneous report made its way through social media earlier this week that San Francisco was engaging in discussions with the Pittsburgh Steelers about this Pro Bowl receiver. While the rumor seemed absurd on the surface, Pittsburgh figured it warranted leaking to the press that there’s absolutely no truth to it. In talking to people close to the 49ers, that sentiment is shared. Unless the Browns somehow change their stance on trading Odell Beckham Jr., don’t expect the 49ers to acquire a top-flight veteran receiver during the draft.

Henry Ruggs?

The fastest receiver in the NFL Draft, Ruggs has been linked to the 49ers on a never-ending loop. He seems to be a perfect fit next to stud youngster Deebo Samuel and could very well be on that board at 13. The Alabama product noted this week that he’s been in contact the most with four teams: San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver and Philadelphia. Of those other three teams, only the Raiders are currently slated to select higher than the 49ers (12th overall).

Draft Options

Lynch would not rule out going offensive tackle with the 13th pick when speaking to the media earlier in the week. While that certainly remains a possibility, the likely return of left tackle Joe Staley makes me question whether this will be the case.

The general manager noted that he wants an immediate impact player at 13. Outside of moving a tackle to guard for one season, San Francisco won’t be getting that. As we saw earlier this offseason with the release of Mike Person, San Francisco simply does not value the guard position at a clip that would suggest using the 13th pick, even if it’s just for one season.

It’s also highly likely the top-four offensive tackles in that of Andrew Thomas, Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills and Mekhi Becton will be off the board at 13. San Francisco won’t reach for a second-tier player at that position. The likelier scenario is that the 49ers potentially targets a tackle at 31. Ezra Cleveland (Boise State) and Austin Jackson (USC) could be options.

It’s also been bandied about that the 49ers could look for a direct replacement for DeForest Buckner at 13. South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw has been the prospect most linked to them. It makes sense in that he can play multiple positions and is already a pro-ready talent. I just don’t see San Francisco putting that type of pressure on a rookie. It would be asking a lot to call on a youngster to directly replace Buckner with the pick acquired for the All-Pro performer.

This leads me to believe it’s wide receiver or cornerback at 13. If Florida’s C.J. Henderson is not available (been getting top-10 play), corner would be a reach with this selection. On the other hand, one of the top-three receivers in that of Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb will likely be available. It will be interesting to see which of those receivers San Francisco has as a core six player. Maybe it has multiple receivers within that group. Though, given the deep nature of the draft at receiver, that seems unlikely.

I still fully expect San Francisco to move down from 13 and/or 31. Lynch made it clear this week that he wants more picks. Short of a receiver of their choosing, Henderson, a top-rated tackle or someone like Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons falling to 13, expect a trade.