If you were betting on the 49ers making multiple trades in the first round, you were right. If you were betting on them trading up in the first, well, you must be a genius or a liar. The 49ers have done just that, making a trade up with the Minnesota Vikings to get a bona fide dynamic wide receiver in Brandon Aiyuk, wide receiver from Arizona State.
He’s described as a “home run hitter” player who has tremendous after catch ability, but the 49ers certainly spent a lot to get him. How much, exactly?
Well, that fourth-round pick they acquired in their trade down with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Javon Kinlaw, the 117th overall, is gone, as is the 176th overall pick, the 49ers’ second fifth-round pick. General manager John Lynch joked on Monday that the 49ers will “trade anything but those fifth-round picks.” Well, now they’ve moved one.
The trade is: Pick 25 for Pick 31, Pick 117, Pick 176.
It’s a lot for a team who doesn’t have any picks until the fifth round. The 49ers are next on the clock at No. 156 overall. As confident I am in Aiyuk, that’s probably an overpay in a deep wide receiver draft.
In KNBR’s best 49ers fit review, Aiyuk was the second-best fit for the 49ers at wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb. He caught 65 passes for 1,192 yards with 8 touchdowns. He also averaged an astounding 31.9 yards per kick return and 16.1 yards per punt return (with 1 TD).
