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After making a handful of splashy offseason additions, the 49ers still need a wide receiver, a pass rusher, an offensive lineman, a safety, and more depth at nearly every position.

It’s why fans are intrigued to see whom the team will select with its first-round pick in the NFL Draft. It’s also why the 49ers shouldn’t make a first-round pick at all.

The 49ers hold the 27th selection in this month’s draft but have just five other picks. They’ll be back on the clock at No. 58, but GM John Lynch traded away the 92nd choice to acquire former Cowboy Osa Odighizuwa, who fills a gigantic hole on the defensive line. The team has four fourth-round picks — including three compensatory selections after losing several veterans in free agency last spring — but isn’t slated to draft any players in rounds 5 to 7. 

For a team that needs an infusion of young talent, finding a trade partner willing to sacrifice multiple picks in exchange for the 49ers’ coveted first-round selection should be a top priority.

• Inside the 49ers’ special teams overhaul, and why there’s still room to improve

The Standard’s David Lombardi has pointed out that the Cardinals (opens in new tab), who hold pick No. 34, could be willing to move into the latter half of the first round to draft quarterback Ty Simpson. Arizona isn’t the only team that could benefit from leaping from the mid-30s or early 40s into the first round to gamble on a high-upside talent.

The Jets (pick No. 33), Giants (No. 37), Browns (No. 39), and Bengals (No. 41) all finished with six wins or fewer last year and could be eager to make a mutually beneficial trade with the 49ers. 

Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have selected at least eight players in each of the last five drafts, including 11 in a 2025 class that featured projected starters Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, and Upton Stout. Their track record in the draft is far from perfect, and they should recognize that the opportunity to trade one pick for two to three more will provide the opportunity to patch up more holes.

The 49ers’ offseason moves indicate that Lynch and Shanahan are all in on a Super Bowl push, but the top decision-makers also recognize that the core of the roster could look completely different in three years. 

The offense, in particular, is reliant on players who are unlikely to be around by the time this year’s draft class reaches the end of rookie contracts. So if Trent Williams, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, and Mike Evans aren’t part of the 49ers’ long-term future, it’s time for Lynch and Shanahan to assemble the supporting cast for the next stage of Brock Purdy’s career.

The draft offers the 49ers the clearest path to success, and stockpiling picks creates the widest margin for error.