Why the San Francisco 49ers' Taylor Mays Isn't Worth Trading for

USC has produced more elite safeties than any school in the country (Ronnie Lott, Willie Wood, Joey Browner, Dennis Smith…).

It remains to be seen whether Taylor Mays will add his name to that list, but it’s not looking like he’ll do it as a 49er.

According to ESPN (via Twitter), San Francisco has put Mays on the trade block about as emphatically as they could do short of actually moving him. The availability of the second-year safety was announced via league-wide mass e-mail earlier today.

Mays is a tremendous athlete for a safety (his 40-time was in the top 10 overall at the 2010 combine), but his performance at the NFL level hasn’t caught many eyes. In six starts last season, he managed just one forced fumble, two passes defensed and no INTs or sacks.

As much potential as Mays has, his lack of any demonstrated productivity makes him a poor risk in a trade. At this point, a team trading for Mays is in only slightly better position than a kid ordering the mystery prize off the back of a comic book.

It’s entirely possible that Mays will turn out to be an outstanding NFL safety, but it’s just as possible that he’ll blow up in his next team’s face.

He’s obviously done something to convince the 49ers that he’s not worth keeping around, and with little information to be had on what that might be, it’s a dangerous play to spend any sort of valuable assets on him at this point.

In principle, if the 49ers’ asking price is low enough, a team in need of safety help might take a flyer on Mays. Cincinnati or Minnesota, say (the latter looking to replace San Fran signee Madieu Williams) might take a shot in exchange for a late round draft pick or a reserve at another position.

Even then, the 49ers would probably come out ahead in a trade. Since they’re unhappy with Mays, it’s a reasonable bet that he’s not thrilled to be there, and with the addition of Donte Whitner, they scarcely need him in the starting lineup.

For some teams, Mays’ speed and strength will likely outweigh his inexperience and concerns about why San Francisco wants to unload him. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mays shipped out as the 49ers want, but it will likely be a bad trade for the team on the other end.

Good athletes aren’t nearly as hard to find as good NFL players. Taylor Mays has the chops as an athlete, but without any reason to believe he can cut it on the field at this level, he’s not worth the gamble in a trade.