If Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty falls in the draft, an AFC West team could trade up with the 49ers.
Senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson wrote an NFL Draft notebook after speaking with executives and evaluators across the league. He had a blurb about the San Francisco 49ers where he said he’s convinced they take somebody along the defensive line and potentially have a trade back partner in the Denver Broncos if Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty falls to pick No. 11:
I think the San Francisco 49ers have been pounding high-end defensive line/edge players in their pre-draft work and it became obvious to a lot of teams. To the point that I’m now convinced they are taking a defensive line or edge player at No. 11 overall. (I will leave open the door for a trade back.) I don’t think there’s much appetite for a move to 11 right now, but if Ashton Jeanty somehow gets to that spot, I’d peg the Denver Broncos as a caller to move into that spot.
Robinson listed Jeanty as a possibility for the New Orleans Saints at No. 11 earlier.
Denver, who picks 20th overall, would need to give up considerably draft capital to move up to pick No. 11. We have the parameters of what a deal from 20 to 11 would look like, thanks to the Chicago Bears trading up with the New York Giants back in 2021 for quarterback Justin Fields.
Now, it’s worth noting that this may not be an apples-to-apples comparison, as it involved a quarterback; however, the deal would likely remain relatively close.
The Bears and Giants swapped first-round picks in 2021. Chicago also gave New York a fifth-round pick that year. Then, the Bears sent a first-round and fourth-round pick in the following draft for Fields.
There’s a non-quarterback trade that we can use if we go back a couple of years before. The Pittsburgh Steelers traded up for linebacker Devin Bush. The Broncos swapped first rounders in the 2019 NFL Draft with the Steelers, but also received Pittsburgh’s second round (52 overall) and a future third rounder (83 overall in 2020) to move up ten spots in exchange for the 10th overall pick. This trade might be a better comparison since it’s for a positional player.
Adding a future first round pick while moving down in a range where players like Walter Nolen, Derrick Harmon, Shemar Stewart, Tyleik Williams and Josh Simmons would be available, it’s a move that seems like a no-brainer. But Jeanty would need to be available.