49ers are logical trade down candidate for one major reason

The 2026 NFL Draft is inching closer and closer, and all eyes are on what the San Francisco 49ers will do at No. 27. Having a late first-round pick in a draft that isn’t considered very top-heavy has led to a lot of speculation on who the 49ers could consider with their first selection.

The most frequent positions mentioned in mock drafts have been offensive line, defensive line, and wide receiver, which align somewhat with the 49ers’ top-30 visits. But, two weeks out from the draft, it’s still anyone’s guess who the 49ers will take with their first-round pick.

What if the 49ers trade out of the pick, though?

San Francisco hasn’t looked to trade down when they’ve had a first-round pick in the John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan era, set aside when they moved down from No. 2 to No. 3 in the 2017 NFL Draft when the Chicago Bears jumped up to take quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

The 49ers stayed put in the 2018 NFL Draft at No. 9 overall, taking Mike McGlinchey. They also stayed put in 2019, taking Nick Bosa at No. 2 overall. In 2020, they did another one-pick trade down, knowing they were taking Javon Kinlaw at No. 14, and then moved up six spots to take Brandon Aiyuk at No. 25.

2021 was the big move, as the 49ers moved three first-round picks (including No. 12 overall) to jump up to No. 3 a month before the draft, eventually selecting Trey Lance. That kept them without a first-round pick in 2022 and 2023, and the 49ers have stayed put in 2024 and 2025, taking Ricky Pearsall and Mykel Williams, respectively.

At No. 27, the 49ers could just target the best player available. But this draft class is unique, not only in that it isn’t top-heavy, but that there aren’t many surefire quarterback options to take in the first round. Fernando Mendoza is widely expected to be taken No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders. But, after that, there are major question marks on when the next quarterback will go.

Most evaluators project the second quarterback off the board to be Alabama’s Ty Simpson. He’s currently the only other quarterback getting first-round consideration in this class. The question is: how late will he go in the first round?

This year’s draft could be like the 2025 NFL Draft, where there was a quarterback expected to go No. 1 overall (Cam Ward) and a ton of question marks after that. The New York Giants eventually traded up from No. 34 to No. 25 to take Jaxson Dart, whom many teams atop the second round were reportedly looking at. Those two were the only quarterbacks selected in the first round.

When looking at where Simpson could go, some teams that could make sense later in the first round include the Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21), Cleveland Browns (No. 24), and Miami Dolphins (No. 30). But there are several teams atop the second round that could make sense as a trade-up candidate for Simpson.

The New York Jets hold the No. 33 overall pick, and Simpson could come in and learn behind Geno Smith as a long-term option. The Arizona Cardinals hold the No. 34 overall pick and don’t have a quarterback of the future. The Browns come back up again at No. 39, giving them some strong capital at the top of the draft. Same with the Dolphins at No. 43, the Jets at No. 44, and the Indianapolis Colts at No. 47.

Those are all possible landing spots for Simpson. Now, why does this matter for the 49ers?

Well, holding the No. 27 pick, they could be a logical trade partner for a team looking to move back into the first round for Simpson, just as the Houston Texans were with the Giants last offseason. The 49ers currently have six draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft and only one on Day 2 after moving their third-round pick in a trade for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.

It could be a good chance for the 49ers to recoup some Day 2 capital and add draft picks where depth seems strong in this draft class.