NFL draft rumors: 49ers seek WR, CB at No. 13, plan to trade No. 31 pick

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The 49ers acquired the No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to address one of the few holes on a loaded roster. While they also own the No. 31 overall pick, don't expect them to keep it.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller reported Friday that league sources expect the 49ers to look for either a cornerback or wide receiver at No. 13 and then will attempt to trade the No. 31 pick to acquire more draft capital.

After the 49ers received the No. 13 pick from the Indianapolis Colts, the prevailing thought was that the 49ers would take the best available receiver, especially after Emmanuel Sanders joined the New Orleans Saints in free agency. In our latest mock draft, Dalton Johnson and I have the 49ers selecting Alabama star Henry Ruggs, with CeeDee Lamb going to the New York Jets and the Raiders gobbling up Jerry Jeudy.

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While the receiver class gets all the hype, the 49ers' need at cornerback also can't be ignored. Richard Sherman was tremendous last season, but the 49ers don't have a cornerback on the roster who is signed after the 2020 season.

Ohio State's Jeff Okudah is the top corner in the class and it's not close. He's expected to be a top-four pick but won't fall lower than seven where the Carolina Panthers undoubtedly would snatch him up.

After Okudah, the class drops off a bit with Florida's C.J. Henderson almost universally seen as the No. 2 corner in the class and LSU's Kristian Fulton, TCU's Jeff Gladney and Clemson's A.J. Terrell rounding out the potential Round 1 picks.

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The 49ers could of course trade out of both the No. 13 and No. 31 picks in order to restock their draft assets, but trading down from No. 13 should only be on the table if the top three receivers and Henderson are off the board. With teams expected to make a run on quarterbacks and offensive tackles early, the 49ers should be able to land one of those four prospects.

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The 49ers also have a need at offensive tackle, and it appears Lynch was hard at work scouting one of the best in the class -- Louisville's Mekhi Becton -- when he showed off his at-home workspace last week.

Becton is a presumed top-14 who has been rocketing up draft boards after his impressive showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. With Joe Staley's future uncertain, the 49ers will need to think about life after Staley, but that appears to be on the draft backburner at the moment.

With the 49ers primed to win now, adding a dynamic wide receiver to Shanahan's offense could be the move that puts them over the top. Lamb, Ruggs or Jeudy all could terrorize defenses in the 49ers' offense.

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