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Will 49ers Package Brandon Aiyuk to Trade Up in Round 1 of NFL Draft?

The 49ers should call teams ahead of them and make an offer. Teams that can afford Aiyuk because they have young quarterbacks on rookie deals.
Grant Cohn|
Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (left) runs after a catch against Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson (34) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (left) runs after a catch against Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson (34) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

It's no secret that the 49ers would like to move Brandon Aiyuk and his contract before his $22.5 option bonus kicks in on April 1.

Here's the problem. Aiyuk still is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL and might not be able to pass a physical yet, which means his value might be low. Teams probably wouldn't offer more than a third-round pick for him right now. And even a third-rounder might be tough to get.

Which means the 49ers could flip Aiyuk for the best mid-round draft pick they can find, or they could get creative.

They could package Aiyuk with their first-round pick -- No. 11 -- to move up in Round 1. Why not? They should call teams ahead of them and make an offer. Teams that can afford Aiyuk because they have young quarterbacks on rookie deals.

The 49ers should call the Panthers and offer them Aiyuk and the 11th pick for the 8th pick, which they could use to take Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou or Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, while the Panthers would get a No. 1 wide receiver to pair with Bryce Young.

The 49ers also should call the Patriots and offer them Aiyuk, the 11th pick and the 43rd pick for the 4th pick, which they could use to take Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter or Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, while the Patriots would get a No. 1 wide receiver to pair with Drake Maye.

Instead of trading Aiyuk for a player who might turn out to be nothing more than a backup, trade him in a package deal for a foundational player, someone the 49ers can build around for the next decade.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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