ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder recently ranked the five best in-draft trades from the 2020 NFL Draft. The top-ranked move on his list was the trade between the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, with the latter moving up from No. 31 overall to No. 25 to select wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk while giving up the Nos. 117 and 176 selections in the process.
While the 49ers got the player they would have, under different circumstances, drafted with their first selection at No. 13 overall, Walder sees the Vikings as the clear winners in that trade. In fact, he is downright "confused" by the decisions to give up so much in the deal and the choices made with their two first-round selections.
San Francisco used its first selection to draft defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and did so with two highly-touted receivers, Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb, still on the board. Walder believes the choice of either would have filled a bigger need for the 49ers. It's not that he doesn't like Kinlaw, just that he sees him as less valuable than either of the wideouts mentioned.
"Perhaps the argument against Jeudy or Lamb was that this was a deep receiving class," writes Walder, "and strong talent could be found later. But that line of thinking went out the window when the 49ers squandered so much value to trade up to get Brandon Aiyuk."
Walder notes that, according to ESPN's NFL Draft Predictor, there was a 59 percent chance that Aiyuk would have still been available at No. 31. Of course, there have been reports that the Miami Dolphins or even the Green Bay Packers may have had their eyes on Aiyuk. As soon as the 49ers leaped over Miami, the Dolphins traded out of the spot, which might support the claim.
"All of this seems like bad process by San Francisco," adds Walder. "But the Vikings deserve credit, too. They were presented with an offer that moved them down six spots and paid them much more than those six spots are worth, and they took the deal."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan explained last week that the 49ers were shocked to see Aiyuk still available after the Vikings selected wide receiver Justin Jefferson at No. 22.
"Aiyuk was one of the guys we were going to [draft at No. 13] if Kinlaw wasn't there," Shanahan said. "And then to still be there, sitting there at 31, and a guy that we would have done it if we had to at 13, is sitting there when [our next selection is] 31, available at 25. We feel very strongly from our intel over the last few months, there's no way Aiyuk is getting to 31."