San Francisco 49ers fans may not want to hear anything about learning from the Seattle Seahawks, so if you made it past the headline, I applaud you.
The truth is, the 49ers' hated division-rival has provided a lot during the three-year tenure of general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. The latter knew the difficulties of facing a Seahawks-style defense, and the benefits of playing within one, and opted to bring in a defensive coordinator — Robert Saleh — with experience in the system but who was also able to evolve it. The 49ers wanted to find corners that fit the mold of long-time Seahawk, Richard Sherman. So they nabbed the best of those examples — Sherman himself — and continued adding players with similar traits.
There may be one more Seahawks-based roadmap the 49ers can follow, and it has to do with the upcoming draft. As it stands right now, San Francisco does not own a Day 2 draft pick. The team is currently set to select No. 31 overall in the first round and then not again until the fifth round. Compensatory picks could further extend the gap between selections.
| 49ers 2020 Draft Picks | |
| Round 1 | No. 31 overall pick |
| Round 5 | Two picks |
| Round 6 | One pick |
| Round 7 | Two picks |
In his feature for NBC Sports, Peter King shares how Seattle's 2019 draft could provide a roadmap for the 49ers to fill that Day 2 void with multiple picks, and do so without giving up too much. That draft saw general manager John Schneider and the Seahawks trade down numerous times.
The first trade involved relinquishing the No. 21 overall pick to the Green Bay Packers for the No. 30, 114, and 118 picks. The Seahawks then traded that No. 30 pick, which is pretty close to where the 49ers sit now, to the New York Giants for the No. 37, 132, and 142 picks.
The moves didn't end there. A third trade sent that No. 37 pick to the Carolina Panthers for the No. 47 and 77 picks. The Seahawks finally made their first selection at the No. 47 spot, and then made several other trades with their new arsenal of picks to further move around the draft order.
In the end, after busy days of negotiations, the Seahawks turned their initial No. 21 overall pick into picks No. 47, 64, 120, 132, 142, and 204. That's a first-rounder in exchange for two second-rounders, two fourth-rounders, one fifth-rounder, and one sixth-rounder to add to their draft picks.
San Francisco's team president and contract negotiator, Paraag Marathe, could find himself very busy and stuck on the phones for much of the upcoming draft. But it is a good sign that the 49ers' draft outlook may not be as dire as some are forecasting.
The 49ers' list of current selections may not be impressive now, but that could change leading to or even during the three-day event in April.