49ers NFL Draft: Why Kyle Shanahan chose Brandon Aiyuk over CeeDee Lamb

Head coach Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers had a chance to grab wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the 2020 NFL Draft, yet ultimately chose ASU’s Brandon Aiyuk later instead. Here’s why.

The San Francisco 49ers traded down from the No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft one spot, and they were primed to grab one of the top-two wide receivers in the draft, Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, which would have paralleled many a prediction on the route the Niners would take in Round 1.

Instead, head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. passed on a wide receiver with the No. 14 overall pick, grabbing South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.

Reports later surfaced the 49ers were considering their next first-round pickup, Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, at No. 13 or 14 if Kinlaw had gone off the board earlier. The fact both Kinlaw and Aiyuk slipped to San Francisco was quite the dream scenario, according to general manager John Lynch.

That explains one reason why the Niners passed on Lamb, since Kinlaw was a target the team had to replace its Pro Bowl defensive tackle, DeForest Buckner, who was traded in March to the Indianapolis Colts for the 13th overall pick. Had the 49ers gone with Lamb first, it would have been the longest of long shots to see Kinlaw drop down towards the end of Round 1.

But there’s more to the equation matching Shanahan to Aiyuk instead of Lamb.

Shanahan explained as much on The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami’s TK Podcast (h/t Niners Wire’s Kyle Madson) earlier this week:

"When I look at Aiyuk I like that he can run every single route. He can run them from all three positions. The toughness he plays with. He’s a very smart player. He can do everything. He did time out a 4.5 (40-yard dash), but he had one of the fastest (10-yard splits) in the draft, which means I think he can get from zero to 10 yards as fast as anyone, and that translates pretty well. And I do think he runs better than his 4.5 on tape. You look at like his GPS times, which we get a lot of, and he’s one of the faster receivers that’s recorded in games. So, I like how he plays."

There are a few things to pull away from this. While it’s true Shanahan puts a priority on speedy receivers (Lamb also ran a 4.50 40-yard time at the NFL Combine), the 49ers head coach arguably has a higher preference for better route running and separation skills.

Shanahan talking about that initial burst indicates attention to this.

One can also see a possible shift, philosophically, in Shanahan’s preference in wide receivers. Whereas finesse and speed seemed to be the priority in 2017 and 2018, the Niners selecting a tough, physical wideout in 2019, Deebo Samuel out of South Carolina, suggests Shanahan is altering his checklist for receiving traits.

Samuel didn’t necessarily have the breakneck speed at the combine, running a slightly better 4.48 40-yard time, although his game speed sure seemed much faster than what was recorded at Lucas Oil Stadium just over a year ago.

San Francisco is hoping for the same from Aiyuk.

In addition to the raw skill factor, Shanahan ultimately said the idea of going after Aiyuk instead of Lamb was about value, particularly with the ability to add Kinlaw, too:

"I’m not gonna compare those two if you think you can get one later and one earlier when they’re both really good. They both do different things, but what’s the best value and where to get it? I didn’t think we’d get him at 25. But I thought Aiyuk would be the best value at that 18 to 22 area.That’s why I kind of went in targeting that guy."

From these statements, it appears as if Shanahan was pretty keen on maximizing value, which allowed the 49ers to hone in on Aiyuk while also affording the ability to select Kinlaw.

Plus, the kinds of traits Aiyuk offered were elements Shanahan and the Niners couldn’t pass up, inevitably deciding to trade up to No. 25 overall to grab him.