The San Francisco 49ers have been projected by draft analyst Luke Easterling of Athlon Sports to trade their first round pick to the Denver Broncos who are hoping running back Ashton Jeanty of Boise State will be there for the taking. Most analysts have Jeanty going in the top six picks, most likely to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6, but Denver is hoping to trade up to get into the game for Jeanty and San Francisco is their first stop.

Jeanty amassed 2.601 yards on the ground last season and scored 29 touchdowns on 374 carries. He is a hard north-south runner who has both bulk and speed and is the quintessential big back. “A few years ago, the Lions made a bold move to trade up for a running back, and it’s worked out pretty well,” Easterling said. “Jeanty absolutely has the elite talent to make a Jahmyr Gibbs-like impact at the next level, and if he’s still on the board here, the Broncos could part with a second-round pick to jump ahead of the Cowboys to land the three-down star.”

The Dallas Cowboys would love to pick Jeanty, but he will not be not be on the board when the Cowboys select at No. 12. Dallas is going to have to fight to move up the board and make the right deal to get Jeanty. Jeanty’s 80 receptions, 862 yards and six touchdowns also suggest that he could develop into a significant target for Broncos signal-caller Bo Nix, who is entering his second year in the NFL.

San Francisco could use all of the assets it could acquire and a trade down makes sense. However, if Jeanty is taken by the Raiders, it might not be prudent for Denver to trade up from 20 unless they want to draft another quality player in the 49ers position.