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Chris Simms says he was well-aware that San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, a close friend of his, was high on former Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The Niners ended up drafting the wideout at No. 25 overall last week and traded up in the first round to do so.
Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have even said that, had the dominos fallen differently, and had defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw been off the board, the 49ers would have been willing to select Aiyuk at No. 13. They would have done so even knowing that the move would have been heavily criticized as a massive reach.
It just shows how high the 49ers' brain trust was on Aiyuk.
None of this is news to Simms, though, who had conversations with Shanahan about the receiver and made sure not to tip his friend's hand. The NBC Sports analyst notes that when it comes to evaluating receivers, Shanahan knows what he's talking about and what he wants.
"When Kyle Shanahan told me, 'Man, I think this guy is Isaac Bruce,'" Simms said on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast, "and we had a conversation of, 'Would people think I'm crazy if I took Brandon Aiyuk at 13?' I said, 'Some might. But because of your track record, and if you say a statement like, "I think he could be Isaac Bruce," that will shut people up in a hurry.'
"I tried to be a good friend and not show any connection or dots there between Aiyuk and the 49ers."
Simms goes on to note that he believes Shanahan became a fan of Aiyuk because of his route running, mechanics, speed, hands, and versatility.
"Shanahan is very into wide receivers who can rip the ball out of the air and not lose any speed when the ball is thrown accurately," Simms continued, "like you saw with Deebo Samuel last year. How many times did you see Deebo Samuel run it over the middle, rip the ball out of the air, and run it like a bat out of hell, right?"
Can Isaac Guerendo break the 49ers' curse of early-drafted running backs?
By Marc Adams
May 4
The San Francisco 49ers have drafted many running backs in the top half of the draft over the years. Some have been hits, like Roger Craig (1983, second round), Ricky Watters (1991, second round), and Frank Gore (2005, third round). Others have been misses, like James Owens (1979, second round), Terrance Flagler (1987, first round), Amp Lee (1992, second round), Glen Coffee (2009, third round), and LaMichael James (2012, second round). Dexter Carter was a solid kick and punt returner for the 49ers in the early 1990s, but he wasn't worth the first-round pick the team used on him in 1990.
The current 49ers regime has drafted four running backs within the first four rounds since 2017. Isaac Guerendo, the running back out of Louisville, is the most recent, taken last week in the
Did 49ers nearly reveal their hand before drafting Isaac Guerendo?
By David Bonilla
May 5
NFL insiders hear so much information about team interests leading up to the NFL Draft, making it challenging to discern fact from fiction—or smoke screens. A few weeks before the draft, Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda reported an intriguing tidbit about a former Louisville running back—the San Francisco 49ers were not just interested, but very interested.
Pauline took to social media to share that, according to what he was hearing, the 49ers had a third-round grade on Isaac Guerendo and were considering drafting him if he was still available at the end of the second day of the draft.
Shortly afterward, Pauline's social media post mysteriously
5 things to know about 49ers 4th-round pick RB Isaac Guerendo
By Kirk Larrabee
Apr 27
For the fourth time in four years, the San Francisco 49ers have spent one of their draft picks on a running back, this time on Isaac Guerendo of the University of Louisville.
The 49ers traded two fifth-round picks for the chance to move up and draft Guerendo, who was selected at pick 29 in the fourth round. Here's a look at what to know about Guerendo as he begins his NFL career with the 49ers.
Where he fits
The addition of Guerendo (6-0, 221, 24 years old in June) could be an indication of where things stand in the long term with the 49ers' running back room, in particular among the backups.
Christian McCaffrey will obviously continue to get the bulk of the carries for the 49ers this season and beyond, but the rest of the team's
Malik Mustapha, Isaac Guerendo, Jacob Cowing, Jarrett Kingston, Tatum Bethune discuss being drafted by the 49ers
By Site Staff
Apr 27
The San Francisco 49ers' five selections from Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft spoke with reporters after each pick was made. Here is everything they had to say.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
S Malik Mustapha
Just wondering about your interaction with the 49ers heading into the draft. Did you did you meet with them? Did you visit or anything like that?
"Yeah, I had my only formal meeting with them at the combine. It was awesome being able to meet, [President of Football Operations and
