Albert Breer Breaks Down the 49ers' Draft Needs

Don't be surprised if the 49ers trade Brandon Aiyuk and make two picks in Round 1 on Thursday.

Now is the time to really pay attention to draft rumors and reports.

The past couple months have been filled with smoke screens and misinformation. But now, the insiders who are most connected in the NFL have nuggets to share, and Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer shared in an interesting one about the 49ers today in his latest column:

"The 49ers could use—yup—another offensive tackle. This is another one that’ll be dictated by who happens to fall in the round. If the tackle supply has dried up (a distinct possibility), then one of the second-tier corners, or a receiver to have in place to eventually take Brandon Aiyuk’s spot would make sense."

The 49ers never have taken a defensive back before Round 3 since John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan joined the team in 2017, so rule out that possibility in Round 1 and you're left with offensive tackle and wide receiver.

As Breer wrote, the 49ers could draft a second-tier offensive tackle such as Jordan Morgan. Roger Rosengarten or Patrick Paul at the end of Round 1. But those players would be reaches and probably redshirts, too.

If the 49ers want a top-tier offensive tackle, they could trade Aiyuk for a mid-first-round pick, draft someone such as J.C. Latham, Taliese Fuaga or Amarius Mims, and then draft a wide receiver with pick no. 31. Someone such as Adonai Mitchell, Ladd McConkey or Xavier Worthy. Because the wide receiver they take at 31 would be much better than the offensive tackle they'd get at that spot.

Don't be surprised if the 49ers trade Aiyuk and make two picks in Round 1 on Thursday.