The 49ers have built a juggernaut in part by discarding their top draft capital in trades. Their 2021 acquisition of quarterback Trey Lance cost them a 2023 first-round selection, and they parted ways with their own 2023 second, third and fourth-round choices to pull running back Christian McCaffrey away from the Carolina Panthers ahead of last season’s trade deadline.
Now they’re left with their third-round compensatory picks to kick off their 2023 draft, which sets their starting line at the No. 99 pick. Holding three of the final four picks in the third round isn’t the worst place for a team to be, but the draft is going to be particularly important for the 49ers in the next couple of years.
