49ers mailbag: Will SF add draft capital? Go best player available or need? Did Trent Williams deal change Round 1 plans?

It's the day before the first round of the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers are about to have the chance to upgrade their roster. Unfortunately, so will every other team, including two very good teams—who will remain nameless—that are in the 49ers division.

Who will San Francisco select? What kind of impact will they have in year one? Will the 49ers pull off any trades during the draft? We'll soon find out.

We opened the 49ers Webzone Mailbag to see what was on your mind as the team gears up for the draft. We didn't have as many questions as we usually do, but the ones we did receive were good. Let's take a look.

Do you see the 49ers attempting to acquire more draft capital this week or during the draft? Or will six picks be plenty this year? - Ed H.

I wouldn't say six picks are enough. The 49ers have more holes than scheduled draft picks. I think it's possible they trade back at some point to gain another pick or two. I don't agree with Jason La Canfora's suggestion that San Francisco may trade up to get a pass rusher. They're more likely to trade down.

But yes, I believe they might do something to gain more selections. From what I understand, any trade of Brandon Aiyuk will likely be for a 2027 draft pick. Might they trade someone else, like one of the linebackers? Could Dee Winters or Tatum Bethune be expendable?

49ers reporter Larry Krueger said he was told the 49ers may trade Ricky Pearsall or Renardo Green. He's since been told Green isn't going to be traded. I seriously doubt the 49ers are ready to give up on Pearsall either.

On Tuesday, Adam Schefter, on his podcast, suggested the 49ers could be looking to trade back from pick 27.

"I'm not going to be surprised if the 49ers trade out of this spot," Schefter said.

Do you believe the 49ers draft for need or take the best player available? - Dave B.

Well, GM John Lynch talked like the 49ers would take the "Best Player Available" approach. Here's what he told reporters on Monday during his pre-draft presser:

"I think what you try to do is position your team such that you just don't have glaring holes where, like, we have to take this position," Lynch said. "So, there's some comfort in that. And I think it likely gives you more of a belief and a comfort in just picking the best players.

"You can't go wrong taking good football players. And obviously, it's a combination of all those things. It's short-term, it's long-term. But I think having that in place, some of the things we've done this offseason, gives us a great ability to go in with, really, a mindset of taking the best player, not just saying we've got to come out with this position."

That's what Lynch said. But his history (and that of Head Coach Kyle Shanahan) doesn't exactly match that. Perhaps they feel like they're in a position to take the best player available. I tend to believe what he said, but we'll have to wait to know for sure.

Does the Trent Williams extension rule out the 49ers drafting a tackle in the first round? - Lance P.

Probably, especially since it's a two-year deal. But it's still possible the 49ers could draft Trent Williams' replacement Thursday night. I just think it became a lot less likely with the Williams extension.

Do you like Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez with the 49ers? - Sasha R.

I'm not sure the 49ers see linebacker as a need, but if they are on the "Best Player Available" train, they may talk themselves into drafting Jacob Rodriguez. He makes plays. And he makes impact plays. Last season, Rodriguez led the FBS with seven forced fumbles.

Check out some of his awards, according to NFL.com:

• First-team Associated Press All-American
• Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
• First-team All-Big 12
• Won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation's top defender)
• Won the Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman)
• Won the Bednarik Award (nation's top defender)
• Won the Butkus Award (nation's top LB)

Rodriguez was also a finalist for a few other awards, including the Lott IMPACT Trophy. He also finished fifth in the Heisman race.

In addition to all of that, he's married. So, he's likely less likely to be distracted by non-football things than many of his fellow draftees. Rodriguez is the type of player the 49ers like. If they decide to draft him, I'd be excited to see what he can do.

But again, it's a crowded linebacker room. Also, San Francisco would likely have to take him in the second round. Are they willing to draft a linebacker that high after spending a third-round pick on Nick Martin a year ago?

That said, Martin barely played last season. And Rodriguez is a much better prospect than Martin was.

What do you believe the 49ers will do in the first two rounds? - Kara L.

Last week, on "The Red and Bold Show," I predicted the 49ers would draft an edge rusher in round one and a wide receiver in round two. But my co-host, Anthony Robertson, made the opposite prediction (WR in round one and edge in round two), based on the fact that there is more depth at edge rusher and that the 49ers could still find a good one in the second round.

I have to admit, he may have swayed me. And then I heard Matt Maiocco, of NBC Sports Bay Area, predict edge in the first and left guard in the second. Of course, Maiocco knows what he's talking about.

But I'm sticking with my original pick—edge, then WR.

DISCLAIMER: I'm wrong just about every year. Proceed at your own risk.

That's all we have for this week. We'll be back next week with another one to discuss what happened during the draft. Get your questions ready!