On a night that made a mockery of all the draft projections, the Raiders and 49ers both used trades to achieve their objective. The Raiders were first to make a move, trading their No. 3 pick to the Miami Dolphins and moving back to No. 12 but also picking up the Dolphins’ second-round pick, making up for the one they had given up in the Carson Palmer trade. Read More

For only the second time in the past 16 years, the debate at the top of the NFL Draft doesn’t involve a quarterback. “This is a really a meat and potatoes draft, certainly early in the first couple of rounds with linemen, which is exciting,” said Howie Roseman, general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles, who hold the fourth overall pick. “It may not be the flashiest thing, but it’s exciting.” Read More

SANTA CLARA — With 13 draft picks, Trent Baalke has built quite the board of potential players. A board that is well prepped but could change quickly as the draft unfolds.The San Francisco 49ers general manager has already fielded his share of calls from teams trying to boost their chances by acquiring some of those selections from the NFC champions. Read More

Hold on, wasn’t the NFL’s new league season, aka Christmas morning on 5-Hour Energy, supposed to start today at 1 p.m.? Judging by the flurry of activity Monday, it seems like NFL teams didn’t get the memo. And once again, the 49ers were right in the middle of it. Just weeks after being the first team to jump into the mix by agreeing to ship quarterback Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Niners kept up the wheeling and dealing. Read More