49ers Mailbag: Will Trey Lance be traded? Will SF use all 11 picks? Trade up? Trade down? And more questions answered

It's draft week, and the San Francisco 49ers are ready to select a new crop of prospects. Of course, the 49ers aren't scheduled to pick until late in the third round, but there is always the chance that they move up.

On Monday, GM John Lynch spoke to the media. Among the takeaways from his press conference:

• Frank Gore sat in a lot of 49ers draft meetings. Gore is known to have a great eye for talent and an exceptional understanding of the game. It's also interesting to note that Matt Maiocco, of NBC Sports Bay Area, said he spoke with Gore at the 49ers' local pro day, and that Gore is very high on Sam Darnold. According to Maiocco, Gore expects Darnold to surprise a lot of people.
• Lynch says he and QB Trey Lance have talked about the potential of him being traded. But Lynch also said he expects Lance to stay with the 49ers, saying the trade situation surrounding Lance is "a lot of smoke, really. It hasn't been extremely active."
• Lynch said Purdy is "on schedule." He spoke of Purdy in a way that, once again, made it clear that Purdy is QB1 once he's healthy.
• The GM stated he will speak individually with Brandon Aiyuk and Javon Kinlaw before the 49ers publicly announce if they will pick up the two players' 5th-year options. To me, this sounds like they will pick up Aiyuk's 5th-year option (based on Lynch's comments about the wide receiver), but probably won't pick up Kinlaw's option.
• Lynch named the qualities that make players good fits for the 49ers: tough, dependable, fast, contagiously competitive, and football smart.
• The 49ers are not entertaining thoughts of trading Nick Bosa. And for good reason!

We opened up the 49ers Webzone Mailbag this week, and found a handful of questions inside. Let's get to those:

Tight end isn't going to top anyone's list of needs, but we know the 49ers desire a mismatch to pair with Kittle. If he falls past the top 70, would Sam LaPorta be a guy to trade up for? - Jeremy W.

Yes, Sam LaPorta, the Iowa tight end, would be a great pick for the 49ers. Not only would it be interesting having an Iowa State quarterback throwing to two Iowa tight ends, but LaPorta could be the receiving threat Kyle Shanahan has been looking to pair with George Kittle. We know Shanahan has been looking for that guy. In 2020, he brought in free agent Jordan Reed. Unfortunately, he and Kittle couldn't stay healthy long enough to play together.

I love the thought of having a dual-tight-end threat. It would be perfect for a guy like Purdy.

Earlier this week, I had Brian Carter on my show to talk 49ers draft and such. Brian has put together an incredible 85-page 2023 NFL Draft Companion, free to any 49ers fan who would like a copy. Here's what Carter wrote about LaPorta:

Sam LaPorta – Iowa TE #84 6-3 245

• 4.59 40 and 6.91 3-cone!
• RAC! Good speed & breaks tackles
• Good hands
• Lines up Inline, Slot, & out wide
• Has some shiftiness
• Can vary his foot speed
• Like his routes, uses size to lean and create leverage when manned up, and has subtle body movements to evade contact in zone
• Nice body control & agility, impressive ankle mobility for size
• Solid blocker with plus effort. Good on the move blocker
• Love him! Great fit!
• Late 2nd-early 3rd round grade
• Great fit!

I've heard others, including John Chapman, throw out Michigan's Luke Schoonmaker as another good tight-end fit.

Here's what Carter wrote about Schoonmaker:

Luke Schoonmaker – Michigan 6-5 251 (33" arms 9" hands)

• 4.63 40 & 1.59 split, 10-7 Broad! Explosive!
- Older, will be 25 as a rookie
- Looks like an NFL TE. Has the traits.
• Per PFF: 78.7 Receiving & 2.15 YPRR (80th %) Run Block 55, Contested 28% (below avg)
• Inconsistent blocker. Some reps look good vs good competition, other reps look weak and uninspired
- Would like to see more power, drive, leverage, and consistency in his blocking (cause he can)
- Kind of just walls people off & catches them instead of driving them out of the way
• Solid pass blocker
• Smooth route runner
- I like his hands, lets the ball come to him (not ideal) but has good hand technique & keeps eyes on the ball through the catch.
• Doesn't get much YAC. Not breaking any tackles.
• '22 season 418 yards & 3TD in 12 games
• Best Role: Backup TE
• Grade 4th round
• Great fit!

If you'd like to get a copy of Carter's huge draft "book," reach out to him on Twitter @BrianPNW99. He'll send you a copy. He discusses over 220 players.

​What type of reassurance can you offer 49er fans about Lance's future as a 49er? - Chris Wahl

Lynch said the 49ers' current plan is to have Lance on the team. All I can offer you is Lynch's word, and my gut feeling (whatever that is worth). I still do not believe Lance will be traded, especially this off-season. In fact, I still predict he will be the starter in week one.

What is the 49ers' price for Lance, and what is Lance worth to the League? - Doctor WDS

I can only guess what the 49ers would want, or what Lance is worth. I would think the 49ers would want a high second-round pick or a low first-round pick, plus some other late-round or future picks.

Can they get that for a very untested player? Who knows. But I wouldn't trade Lance for anything less than that. He has all the talent in the world, so I certainly wouldn't give up on him at this point. If I'm the 49ers, I'm keeping Lance, even if Purdy is healthy.

Do you think the 49ers will trade Trey Lance before or during the draft? What about the salary cap hit, if they do? - Dave B.

No, I do not. As I mentioned above, I don't expect the 49ers to trade Lance this off-season at all. But if they do decide to not heed my advice, and trade the QB this off-season, I expect it will be after June 1st.

For starters, I would not expect them to trade Lance before they know for sure that Purdy is healthy and able to play this season. I can't imagine they're ready to turn the team over to Darnold, but Shanahan seems enamored with him, Gore likes him, and it appears Christian McCaffrey does, too. McCaffrey spoke on Monday and had good things to say about Darnold, just like the QBs other former running back.

"Sam's great," McCaffrey said. "He can do everything. He can make any throw. He's smart. He's able to pick up things quickly and do his job. Doesn't play beyond anything and just does exactly what he's told all the time and then adds a lot of flair to it, too.

"I got the privilege to play with Sam. Not enough, unfortunately. I had some injuries. But he's another guy, too, who's just a gamer, and he's tough as hell. He's played through a lot and never made excuses. So happy he's here."

You do have to wonder if what Gore and McCaffrey had to say about Darnold is more about having the back of a teammate. Darnold may indeed turn over a new leaf in San Francisco, but I'm still not ready to trust him to lead the team to the Super Bowl. Maybe he ends up earning that trust.

As far as cap hit, I reached out to Jason Hurley, the cap guru, to see if he could help me understand how this Lance cap breaks down, based on when he might be traded. Hurley said, "If they trade him before June 1, they lose a bit over $1.78 million in cap room, as it leaves $11,081,912 in dead money, and his cap number is $9,301,434. So a loss of $1,780,478 in cap room."

Fellow 49ers Webzone writer, Rohan Chakravarthi, explains it this way: "Lance already takes up $9,301,434 million in cap space this season. Trading him pre-June 1st would increase his cap hit to $11,071,912 million, which will be the amount of dead money since he isn't the team. So, they'll pay $11m. It's just that they're going to pay $1.78 more than they currently would if he stayed on the roster. Which is why people are suggesting it's more likely he gets traded in camp because you don't eat as much dead cap, since you can prorate the dead cap hit over two seasons, not just one."

All the more reason to believe the 49ers won't trade Lance this off-season.

OT, FS and TE are my top three needs for the 49ers - agree? - Doctor WDS

Somewhat. My top three needs for the 49ers are:

1. Edge- San Francisco has to get someone opposite of Bosa to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Can Drake Jackson be that guy?
2. Offensive tackle- The 49ers seem to be content with Colton McKivitz. But I think they'll also look to upgrade. At some point, they need to find a replacement for Trent Williams, but I don't expect that to happen late in the third round.
3. Corner- The team lacks depth at this position. You can say the same for wide receiver, but an injury to Deommodore Lenoir, Charvarius Ward or Isaiah Oliver could put this secondary in a bind. We certainly don't want the 49ers to end up with guys like Dre Kirkpatrick and Josh Norman again.

For me, free safety and tight end barely missed the cut. Free safety is a bigger issue next season, when the 49ers are likely to be without Tashaun Gipson.

Will the 49ers use all 11 picks? Will they package some picks to trade up? - Dave B.

Trade up? Trade down? Trade for picks next year? - Doctor WDS

I don't see 11 rookies making this roster. So I wouldn't expect to see the 49ers make that many selections. Maybe they'll trade down, but I think it's more likely they trade up. That doesn't mean they'll trade up into the second round, but I anticipate them to use their plethora of picks to move up for a player or two they really like.

Let's hope it's not a kicker.

The 49ers should draft a QB (at least a cap arm). I like Tanner - who do you like? - Doctor WDS

Yes, they probably should draft a QB. And they've, reportedly, been looking at quarterbacks, including Fresno State QB Jake "Don't call me Brock" Haener, Aidan O'Connell (Purdue), and UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Tanner McKee, of Stanford, participated in the 49ers' local Pro Day. I'm just not sure he fits what Shanahan typically wants. Yes, he is the dropback passer Shanahan seems to have loved in the past, but is the coach looking for someone a little more mobile? His three current QBs would suggest he does.

That's all we have for this mailbag. Thanks for your questions, and for reading.