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The San Francisco 49ers made a few interesting additions on draft night after trading out of the first round. While they acquired a ton of picks down the board with those trade-downs, the 49ers made a different trade on Friday night.
Instead of trading up or down in the draft, the 49ers swung a deal with the Dallas Cowboys, sending veteran linebacker Dee Winters to acquire a 2026 draft pick in the fifth round.
ESPN's Seth Walder handed out grades for both the Cowboys and 49ers. These two trade grades have made it clear that the 49ers are the winners of this deal.
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49ers are clear winners of Cowboys' trade for Dee Winters
"Cowboys grade: C+. 49ers grade: B+," Walder writes. "... With Fred Warner healthy again, Dre Greenlaw back on the roster, and Tatum Bethune also available, getting draft capital in exchange for Wilson makes sense.
The 49ers being able to trade Winters, who struggled a lot last season for the 49ers and is in the final year of his deal, is a good outcome for the team.
But, to acquire a 2026 fifth-round pick at No. 152 overall is an even better deal for the 49ers. Getting anything in return was great, and the pick isn't a bad one at all.
While the 49ers had some questionable linebacker depth during the 2025 season, this trade shows the team is clearly okay with where the roster is at.
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Warner should be back and healthy, Bethune has intriguing potential, and Greenlaw is a fun player to return to the defense.
And if they want extra depth, drafting someone on Day 3 of the NFL Draft would make sense, and be a lot cheaper and around for four years as opposed to the one season for Winters.
This was a great trade for the 49ers, as they moved on from someone who wouldn't have played a big role on the roster and picked up a valuable pick on Day 3 of the draft from Dallas.
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