49ers 2020 NFL Draft: Live tracker with picks, grades and analysis
By Peter Panacy
Arizona State. BRANDON AIYUK. A-. . Wide Receiver
The 49ers weren’t done trading in Round 1, but few looked at the Niners being a trade-up candidate in the NFL Draft.
Yet that’s what happened towards the end of the round, as San Francisco moved up in a deal with the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 25 overall pick:
Niners traded picks 31, 117, 176 to Minnesota for 25, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2020
And with that selection, the 49ers grabbed Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Aiyuk, a 6-foot-0, 205-pound receiver, hit the 4.50 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine and showed some jump-ball ability with a 40-inch vertical leap. His notably long arms are great at plucking balls away from his body. And despite relatively little production earlier in his college career, the progression and route-running development surely are positive enough.
San Francisco passed on some of the top receivers, yes. But Aiyuk is a nice consolation prize, and he seems to be the kind of player head coach Kyle Shanahan would want.