49ers receive pair of solid grades for savvy NFL Draft trades in Round 1 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Francisco 49ers made a few trades during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, moving down a few spots twice to pick up some extra ammo down the board.
The two moves were made with AFC East teams, with the first being a move-down with the Miami Dolphins to No. 30, then using that pick, they dropped another three spots with the New York Jets to No. 33 overall.
ESPN's Seth Walder handed out a pair of grades for these two savvy moves from the 49ers, and John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan's draft-night moves received some solid grades.
Their first trade was the No. 27 pick and the No. 138 pick to the Dolphins for the No. 30 and No. 90 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
That move resulted in the Dolphins getting a C grade from Walder, but more importantly, the 49ers got a B+ grade from Walder for this deal.
Their next move came with the Jets, and had the 49ers giving up the No. 30 overall pick in return for the No. 33 overall pick at the top of the second-round, and the 179th pick in the fifth round.
Overall, the 49ers used the 27th pick and the 138th pick to move down to the 33rd pick, acquired the 179th pick, and moved up 48 spots to 90th overall.
The 49ers did well with the Dolphins trade, as their massive lead from the 138th pick on Day 3 to the 90th pick on Day 2 was a very valuable move-up.
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But the Jets trade wasn't as highly regarded. The Jets got a B+ grade from that trade, as the Jets didn't have to give up much to move up three spots back into the first round.
The 49ers might've lost that second trade, but they now are in a fantastic spot for the second day of the NFL Draft, as teams are going to come calling about moving up to the 33rd pick, the first selection in Round 2 on Day 2.
The 49ers might not be done trading down, which will be interesting to look back on if that 33rd pick is also traded by the 49ers. But for now, the 49ers walk away from these two trades with a solid overall B grade, averaging the two from Walder.
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