The San Francisco 49ers should stay away from the Jalen Ramsey sweepstakes

The San Francisco 49ers must resist the temptation to enter the Jalen Ramsey sweepstakes despite the superstar cornerback’s obvious game-changing talent.

The San Francisco 49ers have enjoyed an incredible start to their 2019 season after two convincing victories. With talk of a postseason push heating up, some have insisted that they should look to acquire the services of superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

After all, Ramsey is one of, if not the best cornerback in the NFL. A two-time Pro Bowler and one-time First-Team All-Pro selection, Ramsey has spent the last four years solidifying his place as one of the premier defensive backs in the league.

But would a potential Ramsey/49ers pairing make sense?

For starters, there isn’t a team in the NFL that wouldn’t benefit from acquiring his services. Ramsey is such a talented player that no matter how strong a team may be at cornerback, he would no doubt be an improvement.

The former Florida State star is one of the most talented players at one of football’s most important positions. Anyone attempting to undersell his value is grossly mistaken.

That said, while he would benefit every NFL team, he’s certainly not a good fit for each organization — the 49ers included. Much of that has to due with what it’s going to take to acquire such a talented player.

Ramsey is reportedly on the trade block for a reason — his heated interaction with Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone during Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans being the final nail in the coffin for what has been a frustrating couple of years for Ramsey and the Jaguars.

The never-understated Ramsey has overstayed his welcome in the Sunshine State and it’s clear that his time with the Jaguars is nearing its end.

But that seemingly hasn’t lowered his trade value at all.

The Jaguars are reportedly asking for at least a first-round pick plus more draft capital or an additional player in exchange for Ramsey. In fact, a report from Albert Breer that broke on Tuesday seems to indicate that the asking price could be as high as two first-round picks.

This is where the fairytale of pairing Ramsey with Richard Sherman comes to an abrupt end.

More from Golden Gate Sports

• Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve

Already without a second-round pick in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, the 49ers could ill-afford to part with their first-round pick, let alone next year’s as well. And despite their red hot start to the season, this is still a roster full of holes.

Fortunately, cornerback doesn’t appear to be one of them at the moment.

An aging Richard Sherman is still playing at a very high level and third-year pro Ahkello Witherspoon is on the verge of breaking out after a strong start to the season.

The depth is so good that free-agent signing Jason Verrett has been a healthy scratch in each of the team’s first two games. They could use an upgrade over K’Waun Williams in the slot but they’re not going to give up two first-round picks to do so.

More from San Francisco 49ers

• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
• 49ers sign TE Daniel Helm off the Buccaneers practice squad
• 49ers: Jordan Reed could miss up to two months, will be placed on IR

If this was a trade to acquire an All-Pro offensive lineman, wide receiver, or even a safety we’d be having a different discussion.

The position simply isn’t a big enough need to defend surrendering that much draft capital in a trade. Especially when that draft capital could be used to fill some of the actual holes on the roster.

Ramsey is an incredible player, albeit one who comes with a bit of off-field baggage. And maybe a year ago this is a trade that would have made more sense for the 49ers.

But as it stands right now, a potential Ramsey/49ers partnership just doesn’t seem feasible.

As for their cross-bay rivals, however, things could get very interesting.