Rumors about Sam Darnold’s availability in the commercial market will only increase as the new league year and the NFL draft approach. The 49ers have been linked to a possible Darnold trade in several hypothetical deals, but nothing substantial has been reported about San Francisco’s interest in the quarterback.
If they were thinking about making this move, it wouldn’t come out cheap.
Peter King of NBC Sports wrote in his Football Morning in America column that there was interest throughout the league in Darnold, which would cost at least a high second-round pick.
De King:
No team in the next 14 months has a better draft situation than the Jets. They currently own a decent piece of real estate in Sam Darnold. It’s worth at least a great second-round pick in this draft: 39th overall in Carolina, perhaps, or 40th in Denver or 43rd in San Francisco. (The 49ers are my personal favorites.)
The 49ers make sense as a landing point for Darnold, as much of the former No. 3 fight in three years with the Jets can be attributed to organizational failures around him. San Francisco has an infrastructure installed, along with coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive scheme, that would potentially elevate Darnold to a higher level of play than he has achieved so far in his career.
On the other hand, picking a second round means the team will likely aim to start this season as it is the final year of their rookie contract. Using a second-round pick in a backup that could come out the following year at a free agency is probably not a prudent use of a premium pick for a team with as many holes as the 49ers.
We theorized that the club could make a half-round selection for Darnold to get him into the building as a backup and see what he can do in practice before offering an extension in the low season. It’s worth making a mid-round selection to find out what Darnold is like in Shanahan’s offense. A second round selection has a much higher risk.
Ultimately, the 49ers need to identify a player who can be their long-term answer if Garoppolo doesn’t raise his game or stay healthy in 2021. If Darnold is that player, it makes sense to get him, even for a second round harvest. If there’s any question about him, though, the selection will be best used on a rookie with no background in the NFL’s early 38s.