We already know the San Francisco 49ers will be selecting with either the ninth or tenth pick in April's draft, depending on the result of a coin flip with the Oakland Raiders in February. While the draft order among non-playoff teams is determined by record and strength of schedule, for playoff teams, it is determined by how deep they venture during the postseason.
On Sunday, the New Orleans Saints moved past the Wildcard round of the playoffs with their 31-26 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Why should the 49ers care? The team owns the Saints' second-round pick as a result of a trade last year that resulted in New Orleans moving up to select running back Alvin Kamara.
The second-round pick is also the 49ers' only selection of the round. The team traded its own second-round pick to the New England Patriots for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
With each Saints victory, the gap between the 49ers' first-round pick and their second-rounder increases. However, San Francisco owns two third-round selections courtesy of last year's trade with the Chicago Bears that resulted in the 49ers moving down a spot to the third-overall pick.