NFL Draft 2011: Should San Francisco Make the Jump to No. 2?

The San Francisco 49ers have the No. 7 pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft and could still manage to find their board decimated. Decimated might be a strong word, but there is a huge drop-off in talent between the top three prospects the 49ers are likely to target and the rest of the pack.

Robert Quinn has upside, but Von Miller looks like he is almost a sure thing. Prince Amukamara is everything you could ever ask for in a shutdown corner, but Patrick Peterson might be a once-in-a-generation type of corner.

As discussed before, each pick holds a quantitative value. If the 49ers want to trade up to get a guy they really want, they are going to have to pay a steep price. They have a league-high twelve picks, so they do have some tools to work with.

Even if they did want to trade up, who would be willing to trade down with so many outstanding prospects begging to be chosen at the top of the draft?

Apparently the Denver Broncos, ESPN reports. According to blogger Matt Williamson, Denver would like to draft defense, but would ultimately want to trade down to the No. 5-7 range to do so.

So the 49ers may need a seller and Denver needs a buyer. According to the draft value chart, Denver's second overall pick holds a value of 2,600 points, while the 49ers' seventh overall pick holds a value of 1,500 points.

In order to make up the 1,100 point difference, the 49ers would have to throw in a heinous amount of draft picks. This year is unique, in the sense that teams cannot deal players on draft day due to the labor dispute.

While the draft value chart is certainly taken into consideration, it is not necessarily set in stone. If the Broncos feel they have an opportunity to trade back to the range they desire, acquire a few draft picks and save money in the process, they may jump at the opportunity to do so.

This may come down to who the highest bidder is. The 49ers could realistically trade away a third and fourth round pick and potentially downgrade their 2nd for Denver's 3rd round pick.

This scenario is particularly appealing if their phone isn't exactly ringing off the hook with offers. It's a long shot, but the 49ers are going to have to put their picks together to accomplish something useful. Trading up to No. 2 could be the difference in being elated and being content on draft day.