Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
"I'm fantastic"
Excited, huh?
"Are you kidding me? This has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. So, I'm pretty, yeah, I'm very happy right now."
What kind of interaction did you have with the 49ers leading up to this?
"Leading up to this? Let's see, the first time I talked to them was at, they came, the quarterback's coach [Rich Scangarello] came to throw [49ers QB] C.J. Beathard and I was running routes for him and then the next day they called me to see if I wanted to come out for a visit and then I visited them last Tuesday and was there all day Wednesday. I had a great time. Great coaches, just great people and a great facility."
How close are you with C.J.?
"Me and C.J. are great friends. We lived together. I've been with him for five years, every single step of the way. I've caught every single one of his passes for the past five years. We're a great combo and I'm just really looking forward to being back on the field with him."
Was there any thought in your head that you guys might get drafted to the same team?
"A little bit, I mean, when I was in San Francisco the coaches said they had interest in C.J. And so, hearing that I was like, 'Wow, this could actually happen.' And, it did. I'm just ecstatic that it happened."
Do you see similarities with what the 49ers are going to do on offense with what you guys did in Iowa?
"Yeah, I mean, at Iowa I was lucky enough to be part of a pro-style system. I learned from some of the best coaches in the nation as well. For five years, I was in the same offense that moved the ball well. We had a good running attack, decent passing game, so I'm just looking forward to continuing that in San Francisco."
How would you describe your game and what you're best at?
"Well, I think my game overall, I think I'm a very versatile player, 250-pounds, I can have my hands in the dirt and I can block anybody that you want me to block. You can move me around, run routes, and do whatever you want me to do. I feel like I can catch the ball well, run routes well. I think that's my best thing is that I can do, I'm a versatile guy."
Do you think the numbers aren't really reflective of your game, particularly as a pass catcher?
"I mean, there were times when they asked me to run block so that's what I did. If they wanted me to run two routes a game and block for the rest of them, that's what I did. You know, I put my team before anything that I wanted to do. So, I'm a person that could care less about stats. I just care about winning games and I love the game of football so it's pretty easy for me just to go out there and run block if that's what I need to do."
You said that you've been with C.J. every step of the way. How do you see him just evolving into an NFL quarterback and why do you think he could thrive as one?
"You know, I was blessed to be with C.J. since freshman year and he's just a guy that, he loves football more than anything, other than maybe his daughter. But, he lives and breathes it. It's all he cares about. And he is a genius in the film room and on the football field. He knows absolutely everything that everybody's gonna do. And I think my favorite thing about C.J. is just how much his love and emotion brings everyone else around. He's one of the best leaders I've ever been around. And, I thought he was a great leader just from the start. I mean, he was a leader when we stepped on campus our freshman year. I mean, he was the first guy that we looked at and he was the guy that we looked at as, the guy was a redshirt sophomore and C.J. came in for a couple games and we had fifth year seniors looking to C.J. to lead us to wins. And that's just the thing he can do. He's just a guy that everybody looks up to and he's just one of the best guys on the field."
You mentioned your versatility. The 49ers have FB Kyle Juszczyk on their roster. Are you familiar with him at all?
"No, not really. You know, I'm sure he's a fantastic player, but I mean, I just got drafted so I really don't know much."
* Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
