Trent Baalke has been known to make some draft-day trades as the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, earning the moniker “Trader Trent.” Not surprisingly, he isn’t opposed to moving up in the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft as well.
Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area brought this to our attention, recalling comments Baalke made at recent NFL owners meetings in Florida:
“There’s no position that’s ruled out at seven,” Baalke said recently at the NFL owners meetings. “And whether we stay at seven, there’s a possibility we move up. There’s a possibility we move back. I think you’re going to have to have some fluidity to this draft, in terms of willingness to move in every round.”
These comments are even more salient today than they were when he made them.
The 49ers hosted Cal quarterback Jared Goff on Monday, while at the same time North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz was settling in for an extended stay with the Los Angeles Rams.
This recent turn of events flies in the face of rumors that the Rams were locked into taking Goff at No. 1 overall after they made their blockbuster trade with the Tennessee Titans, moving all the way up from No. 15.
The Rams wouldn’t waste time hosting Wentz for a few days if they were already convinced Goff is the guy for them, meaning the 49ers, or any other team interested in Goff, could potentially make a deal with the Cleveland Browns to move up to No. 2 and land the Cal gunslinger.
With 12 total selections in the upcoming draft, eight of which are able to be moved in a trade, Baalke and the 49ers have plenty of draft currency to make such a deal.
And if Wentz is indeed the guy for the Rams, then Baalke and the 49ers would be absolutely crazy to not pull the trigger.