How past injuries can tell 49ers, NFL teams what players to draft or avoid

The upcoming NFL Draft holds special significance for the San Francisco 49ers, with ties to several familiar faces from the team's past. A handful of legacy players hope to make their mark, possibly receiving a life-changing call from 49ers general manager John Lynch. Brenden Rice, son of Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice, is one such player. The former USC wideout is projected to be a fourth-round draft pick and had the opportunity to meet with the 49ers at the NFL Scouting Combine. When asked about the possibility of joining his father's former team, Brenden confidently expressed, "Honestly, I just

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus unveiled a seven-round mock draft for the San Francisco 49ers, addressing several key needs for the team in the 10-pick projection. Interestingly, the mock draft sees the team adding two legacy players. But before delving into that, let's examine the first three selections. Sikkema has the 49ers shoring up their offensive line at pick No. 31 with the selection of former Arizona offensive tackle Jordan Morgan. Morgan allowed 14 pressures and two sacks in his 477 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle in 2023. He earned an impressive pass-blocking grade of 87.3 and an overall grade of

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

According to Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein, who writes for "All Steelers" on the network, there's a level of confidence within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that they can strike a deal for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk—and at a bargain rate. "According to a team source, the Steelers and 49ers trade talks are real," Strackbein wrote. "While nothing is imminent, they 'would be surprised if it didn't happen.' But it all comes down to compensation, and Pittsburgh isn't willing to budge much on price." While it seems unlikely that the 49ers would part ways with Aiyuk for anything less than a first-round draft