Trent Brown Traded to Patriots; 49ers Receive 3rd-Round Draft Pick

The San Francisco 49ers have traded tackle Trent Brown to the New England Patriots and the No. 143 pick in exchange for the No. 95 overall selection, the Patriots announced.

Adam Schefter and Field Yates of ESPN initially reported the move.

The move comes after San Francisco selected Notre Dame tackle Mike McGlinchey on Thursday night with the No. 9 overall pick, ostensibly to serve as the team's starting right tackle. That made Brown expendable. 

Brown, 25, earned a grade of 79.3 from Pro Football Focus for the 2017 season, 21st among offensive tackles. But he's entering the final year of his contract, perhaps another factor in San Francisco's willingness to move him.

As for the Patriots, the team has beefed up its offensive line after losing Nate Solder in free agency: 

Certainly, the fit for Brown seems better in New England than in San Francisco:

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com joked that the trade looked better if you combined it with another deal between the teams: 

Certainly, the Patriots have made strides on the offensive side of the ball after selecting Georgia running back Sony Michel. The team will have a lot of turnover on that side of the ball in 2018 after an offseason that saw them lose Solder and trade wide receiver Brandin Cooks. 

But keeping Tom Brady upright as much as possible was an obvious goal for the Pats, and the addition of Brown should help in that pursuit.