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As NFL teams continue to practice social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Francisco 49ers are holding their State of the Franchise this week — virtually. General manager John Lynch spoke with the voice of the 49ers, Greg Papa, as part of the event, and discussed the team's two first-round picks in April's draft — defensive tackle
Javon Kinlaw and wide receiver
Brandon Aiyuk.
San Francisco selected Kinlaw out of South Carolina with the No. 14 overall pick. The team initially owned the No. 13 overall selection, thanks to the trade that sent DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts, but moved down one spot and still acquired the player they coveted.
"Going in, I would say, with the 13th pick, we had probably three guys that we were going to stand pat," Lynch said. "If they were there, we were drafting them. When we arrived at 13, those three were still there. And so, at that point, we start saying, 'Wow, let's try to find a trade partner.' But we don't want to go back too far because Kinlaw was No. 1 on that list.'
"Tampa wanted to come up. We were able to move back one spot, and we had a good idea they weren't taking Javon Kinlaw. So we were able to accrue some more draft capital and get the player that we wanted."
The 49ers' next selection was at No. 31. Of course, the team didn't stay there. It fell in love with Aiyuk but knew he probably wouldn't last until the end of the round. After a while, Lynch and the 49ers' brain trust saw the former Arizona State receiver falling closer and closer to their next selection. Not content with letting him slip away, the 49ers made their move to the No. 25 spot.
"With 31, I can tell you that was a big surprise for us," Lynch explained. "If anything, I thought we were getting out, moving back, because we needed some more picks. But Aiyuk was one of those players that we talked about. He had gained so much favor in our process that there was this scenario where we would take him at 13. When he got by 21, we just put everyone on their Zoom ... 'Make the calls. Let's see if we can find a trade partner.'
"Fortunately, it was Minnesota that we were able to do a deal with, and we moved up, and we were able to get Brandon Aiyuk, a player who we think fits us extremely well. We just felt like that was too good of an opportunity."
Lynch is confident about how the 49ers' draft played out. He believes the team acquired the difference-makers it needed and found a replacement for retiring offensive tackle Joe Staley in the process.
"So to come out of the first round with two guys that we might have taken at 13, I felt was a banner day for us," Lynch continued. "Then you throw in the trade we were able to do, not on the first day, but later on; [Washington] kept us sweating with
Trent Williams. It just made it a tremendous draft, along with our other draft picks."
Analyst Steve Palazzolo unveiled a first-round mock draft for Pro Football Focus, attempting to forecast the selections for each NFL team within the top 32 picks. While the San Francisco 49ers concentrated on strengthening the defensive line in free agency, Palazzolo envisions the team continuing to fortify that side of the ball.
In his mock draft, Palazzolo predicts that the 49ers will select former Iowa State cornerback T.J. Tampa with the No. 31 overall pick.
"Tampa's unique fluidity and size for a cornerback make him worthy of a top-75 pick," reads the analysis from Pro Football Focus' big board. "If he can clean up his footwork, he can
With only nine days remaining until the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, Good Morning Football's Peter Schrager revealed his first mock draft of the year. While most might expect the San Francisco 49ers to target an offensive lineman, Schrager has the team bolstering its wide receiver corps with an SEC talent.
Schrager has the 49ers using the No. 31 overall pick to select former Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey, whose 2023 campaign with the Bulldogs was limited by back and ankle injuries.
"McConkey in the first round? Yes," Schrager wrote. "Above guys like Troy Franklin and Keon Coleman? Perhaps. I've spoken to a
It's evident that the San Francisco 49ers engaged in long-term financial planning. Much discussion has centered around the feasibility of the team committing significant financial resources to two wide receivers, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Some skeptics question the wisdom of such heavy investment in a single position, especially considering that the 49ers handed Samuel a substantial three-year extension merely two years ago.
Adding complexity to this debate is the impending contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy, positioning him to become the highest-paid player on the team. He will likely even become one of the NFL's highest-paid players. Where he ranks in average salary will depend upon whether he can replicate the stellar performance of his Pro Bowl 2023
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have made it clear that they want WR Brandon Aiyuk to be a part of the San Francisco 49ers for the foreseeable future. It appears Aiyuk also wants to get something done, but all indications are that he isn't willing to take a hometown discount and the likelihood of playing on the last year of his deal without a holdout or trade request is slim.
Simply put: Aiyuk wants to get paid.
It's hard to blame him. A player's time in the NFL can be short and it takes just one hit to end a career. So, whether it's with the Niners or another team, Aiyuk will squeeze every penny out of what will most likely be his most lucrative professional contract. But is spending that much on a receiver a wise move for the franchise?
There are a