The 2013 NFL Draft just wrapped up, so in lieu of a big empty portion of time between now and the preseason, we should talk about ... the 2014 NFL Draft! We’ve already seen plenty of early mock drafts (“early” is seriously stressed here) and lists of top prospects, but which team will be in the best position to make something happen in said draft?
2014 NFL Draft: 49ers well-positioned with 10 picks next year, Browns in second
The 2013 NFL Draft has just concluded, so we’ll take a brief look at who can do the most damage with the most picks in next year’s draft.
USA TODAY Sports
Well, this year the San Francisco 49ers had 13 picks overall, and it's near-unanimous that they had one of the best drafts of any team in the league. As it turns out, the 49ers are in the best position to do some damage next year as well, at least as far as the current landscape of picks is concerned.
What 13 Picks Can Turn Into
The 49ers started the 2013 NFL Draft with 13 picks and this is the haul they ended up with. 1(18). Eric Reid, Safety, LSU
2(40). Cornellius "Tank" Carradine, Defensive End, Florida State
2(55). Vance McDonald, Tight End, Rice
3(88). Corey Lemonier, Outside Linebacker, Auburn
4(128). Quinton Patton, Wide Receiver, Louisiana Tech
4(131). Marcus Lattimore, Running Back, South Carolina
5(157). Quinton Dial, Defensive Lineman, Alabama
6(180). Nick Moody, Linebacker, Florida State
7(237). B.J. Daniels, Quarterback, South Florida
7(246). Carter Bykowski, Offensive Tackle, Iowa State
7(252). Marcus Cooper, Defensive Back, Rutgers
Plus: 2014 3rd-round pick
The 49ers are already positioned to have 10 picks in next year's draft, including all seven of their own. On top of that, they're guaranteed at least three third-round selections, as they have their own, the one they earned from the Tennesse Titans on Friday when the Titans moved up, and the conditional pick from the Kansas City Chiefs in the Alex Smith trade.
On top of that, the 49ers are likely to receive a third-round compensatory selection for the loss of Dashon Goldson this offseason. The Cleveland Browns are second with nine picks at this time, and the St. Louis Rams are the only team to have an extra first-round pick due to the trade with the Washington Redskins that saw them land Robert Griffin III last year. Here's a look at all the picks that have changed hands thus far for 2014:
First Round
The Rams received this first-round pick (as well as one this year) from the Redskins so they could draft Griffin in 2012.
Third Round
The Minnesota Vikings received a third-round pick in the Percy Harvin trade, San Francisco earned one in the aforementioned Titans trade, and the Browns earned one when the Pittsburgh Steelers moved up in the fourth round on Saturday.
Fourth Round
Cleveland earned a fourth-round pick when the Indianapolis Colts moved up in the fifth round on Saturday.
Fifth Round
The Jacksonville Jaguars received a fifth-round pick from the Detroit Lions in exchange for wide receiver Mike Thomas, and the Seattle Seahawks earned one from the Oakland Raiders in a trade for Matt Flynn.
Seventh Round
The 49ers received a seventh-round pick from the Carolina Panthers as compensation for Colin Jones.
Conditional Picks
San Francisco has the third-round pick that could turn into a second-round pick from the Chiefs in the aforementioned Smith trade, the Raiders get a conditional pick from the Arizona Cardinals from the Carson Palmer trade, the New York Jets get a fourth-round pick from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that could turn into a third-round selection depending on his Darrelle Revis does, and the Bucs received a conditional pick from the Philadelphia Eagles for wide receiver Arrelious Benn.
More from SB Nation:
See More:
