Report: 49ers Tried to Trade Up with Panthers in Round 1 of NFL Draft

The 49ers tried to pull off an aggressive move in Round 1 of the NFL Draft.

Ultimately, they stood pat and drafted Mykel Williams with the 11th pick. But according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, they tried to trade up with the Carolina Panthers for the 8th pick.

"Whispers of trading up persisted closer to and around the draft," writes Fowler. "The 49ers discussed trade options with Carolina at No. 8 that ultimately didn't materialize. I talked to a few teams picking high who wondered whether San Francisco would move up for a playmaker such as Tetairoa McMillan or Colston Loveland.

"And the Saints (No. 9) had been linked to Mykel Williams, San Francisco's pick at No. 11, so a trade with Carolina would have allowed the Niners to get ahead of New Orleans, to be safe. But staying put worked out. And No. 5 pick Mason Graham considered the 49ers a potential landing spot if for some reason he slid into the back half of the top 10."

It's interesting that a few teams wondered if the 49ers were trying to move up for an offensive playmaker. General manager John Lynch said this week on Chris Simms' podcast Unbuttoned that had the 49ers not taken Williams in Round 1, they likely would have taken an offensive player.

Maybe the 49ers wanted McMillan to replace Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk is recovering from a brutal knee injury and currently has one of the worst contracts in the NFL. They could trade him after June 1 and save more than $1.5 million in cap space this year. It's worth noting that the 49ers' first offensive draft pick was a wide receiver -- Jordan Watkins.

Or, maybe the 49ers wanted Loveland to compliment George Kittle and eventually replace him. Kittle recently signed a four-year extension, but it's really a one-year extension with three team option years.

Or, maybe the 49ers wanted Kelvin Banks Jr. to eventually replace Trent Williams. It's worth noting that the 49ers signed veteran left tackle D.J. Humphries a few days after the draft. And they could trade Williams after June 1 and save nearly $1.8 million in cap space this year.

They say that Williams was their first choice, but they have to say that.

I guess we'll never know for sure.