The San Francisco 49ers need some help at the cornerback position after both Perrish Cox and Chris Culliver left the team this offseason in free agency. Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes is considered to be the top corner in the draft this year, but he has been heavily linked to the Minnesota Vikings with the eleventh overall pick.
Would the 49ers be willing to trade up to get Waynes?
ESPN NFL Insider Mark Dominik proposes that the 49ers offer their No. 15 No. 79 picks to the Atlanta Falcons for the No. 8 overall selection.
"This year the Niners have a huge need at cornerback, and the more I watch Waynes, the more convinced I'm that he is the best corner in the draft, with great speed, size and physicality," Dominik wrote. "The Niners might have to move ahead of the Bears at No. 7 to get him. But if San Francisco is confident he'll drop to No. 8 - and Chicago could very well take one of the top receivers, Amari Cooper or Kevin White, if either falls to the seventh pick - a third-rounder isn't much of a price to pay for the opportunity to land the draft's best prospect at your biggest need position."
This deal would also make sense for the Falcons as is would not take them out of position to fill their biggest need (edge rusher). Nebraska outside linebacker Randy Gregory could fall to the middle of the first-round due to a failed drug test at the NFL scouting combine. Clemson's Vic Beasley may still be available as well. Both players would help improve an Atlanta pass-rush that managed just 22 total sacks last season.
Overall, this trade makes sense for both teams. Whether or not it will happen is another question entirely.
