Brandon Aiyuk

Trade chatter about Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel dominated 49ers' draft discussion, but how real was it? We dove in.

The 49ers' plan is to "move forward" with both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk as of now, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday morning.

The San Francisco 49ers drafted WR Ricky Pearsall in the 1st round, with rumors swirling about Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel potentially leaving the team. Colin Cowherd and Albert Breer discuss the possibility of one of the 49ers WRs leaving the team soon.

The 49ers selected Arizona WR Jacob Cowing late in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. Cowing split his five college seasons at UTEP and Arizona. He tallied 31-550-3 as a UTEP freshman before leading the program in all major categories in 2020 (41-691-3). Cowing, a primary slot, saw his production hit new highs in 2021. Fueled by 111 targets, he notched 69-1,361-7. Despite a 15.2-yard aDOT, Cowing still tallied a solid 7.0 yards after catch per reception. He also turned heads with 3.82 yards per route run. In 2022, Cowing transferred to Arizona to live near his son. The move paid off on the field, with Cowing seeing huge target counts (121 and 122) over his final two seasons. He again excelled as a run-after-catch asset. And there s no questioning his total production. Consider this: In 2023, Cowing ranked second in the nation in yards per team pass attempt. New HC Jedd Fisch used him on shorter routes, leading to aDOTs below 9.0 yards. He gives off some Tank Dell vibes on tape, and that s backed up by the testing (4.38 forty-time). Of course, WRs of this size (5 8, 168 lbs.) are true outliers. And in the NFL, Cowing won t project for high volume particularly once you factor in his 1st percentile wingspan. Cowing joins fellow rookie WR Ricky Pearsall in San Francisco. We re still waiting to see if WR Brandon Aiyuk or WR Deebo Samuel will be traded. Regardless, Cowing isn t a great bet for 2024 fantasy value.

Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel remained San Francisco 49ers players after Day 2 of the NFL draft, and that's the way general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan like it after trade rumors swirled all week.