The 49ers Have 14 Draft Picks in 2013. Here's a Darrelle Revis Trade That Could Work
By Jason McIntyre
The idea of the Jets trading Darrelle Revis isn’t insane. They have holes everywhere on offense and defense thanks to general ineptitude by former GM Mike Tannenbaum. In order, I’d say their needs are linebacker, running back, offensive line, safety and tight end. They had zero depth anywhere when injuries hit in 2012. I’m not listing QB because for now they’re stuck with Sanchez.
The problem: How do you put a value on a player coming off a torn ACL, who will play for one more year and then demand another big deal at the age of 29?
It’s virtually impossible to put a price on Revis. He’s not going to get anywhere near what the Rams got for RG3 (two #1’s), so perish that thought. The popular sentiment seems to be: Go out and get a contender to give up their No. 1 pick at the end of the first round.
Obviously New England is out, but what about Denver? Don’t think Broncos fans have forgotten their playoff loss – even though they were 3rd against the pass last season (199 ypg).
Green Bay’s secondary (and defense in general) is horrendous. Revis, who is from Pennsylvania, surely will be connected to the Steelers at some point, even though Pittsburgh was No. 1 against the pass (185 ypg) in 2012. New Orleans had the worst secondary in the NFL, how about them?
What about San Francisco? Yes, the 49ers already have a strong secondary. Yes, the 49ers already have a solid trio of cornerbacks (Carlos Rogers, Tarell Brown and Chris Culliver). The 49ers are in the Super Bowl, and just played in the NFC Championship game in 2012. The 49ers had one of the highest payrolls in the league last year. What would they want with Revis, a guy they’re going to have to pay big money to after one year?
Well, for starters, the 49ers have 14 draft picks (!) in 2013, and their top pick last year, receiver AJ Jenkins, played in three games and was targeted once. Point is, they’re so loaded, there’s no room for the young guys to play. They’re a young team to begin with, so what are you going to do with 14 draft picks?
Yes, they’ve got a lot of free agents this year. And four of the top five passing offenses from 2012 are in the NFC, and that doesn’t even include Green Bay (Rodgers) or New York (Eli). If Matt Ryan doesn’t turn the ball over twice in the second half last weekend – both were his miscues, not necessarily great plays by the 49ers – you’re probably agreeing more with me as I lead up to the big reveal:
The Jets ask for RB LaMichael James, two 3rd round picks, a fifth round pick and a sixth round pick for Revis. That still leaves the 49ers with 10 drafts picks, including a 1st, 2nd and 3rd. It also gives them a new No. 1 cornerback.
The not enough crowd will say: You aren’t getting enough for a guy who was the No. 1 defensive player in the league in 2010 and 2011.
The too much crowd will say Revis is coming off an injury and the Jets aren’t in a favorable position to ask for so much.
Why I think it works: The deal allows the Jets to let Shonn Greene walk, and head into free agency/the draft with a backfield of James/Bilal Powell. You could let James handle punts so Jeremy Kerley doesn’t have to fair catch everything. Joe McKnight could exclusively be used on kickoffs (until he gets inevitably hurt). Normally, I think asking for four draft picks is excessive, but, as stated earlier, the multiple picks are more valuable than say, one first round pick.
Why it works for San Francisco? Well holy shit your elite defense just added a star, and you gave up spare parts (remember, James is only playing because the No. 2 RB, Kendall Hunter, tore his Achilles) and middling draft picks.