Khalil Mack: 5 Logical trade destinations if he’s dealt in 2018

3. San Francisco 49ers

With all that the San Francisco 49ers have invested in their defensive front through the draft in recent years, this might seem like an out-of-place destination for Khalil Mack. After all, they have drafted players like Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas in recent years to help bolster that group moving forward. Thus, it might not seem prudent for general manager John Lynch to give up draft capital to land Mack when they already have young guys.

I fully understand that thought process, but the counterpoint is actually quite simple. For one, Armstead to this point has been lackluster as a pass-rusher, and Thomas certainly looked like a rookie last season in that regard. Perhaps more important, though, is the fact that Thomas’ size and physical traits lend him to being a movable chess piece on the front, allowing him to move inside. And if the Niners were able to land Mack, doing so may give them a far more formidable overall front than what they currently possess.

Though Mack would obviously have to adjust to being a 4-3 end if he were to head to San Francisco, that shouldn’t be a rough transition for him given his talent and tools. More pressingly, this is a team that, with the addition of Jimmy Garoppolo last season, that has put themselves in the conversation as a group on the verge of truly breaking out. Whether they will or not in 2018 remains to be seen, but you have to think that adding a player of Mack’s abilities and potentially strengthening the overall effectiveness of the pieces they already have would help them get to that point.