{"id":315152,"date":"2025-11-28T21:56:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T21:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/315152\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T21:56:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T21:56:15","slug":"2026-nfl-mock-draft-49ers-target-brandon-aiyuk-replacement-with-first-round-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/315152\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 NFL mock draft: 49ers target Brandon Aiyuk replacement with first-round pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Francisco 49ers appear poised to part ways with veteran wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk<\/a>. Aiyuk continues to rehab from the ACL and MCL injuries he sustained in October 2024. The team reportedly grew frustrated with Aiyuk for missing offseason rehab appointments<\/a> and ultimately voided his guaranteed 2026 money, signaling the likely end of his tenure in red and gold.<\/p>\n

In the latest seven-round 2026 NFL mock draft<\/a> from Pro Football and Sports Network, Ian Cummings has the 49ers projected to make several key moves, including potential trades (based on the predicted selections).<\/p>\n

To start, Cummings has San Francisco using its first-round pick on a potential Aiyuk replacement, selecting Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell with the No. 23 overall pick.<\/p>\n

“Between Brandon Aiyuk’s impending split from the 49ers, Ricky Pearsall<\/a>‘s struggles to catch on, and Jauan Jennings<\/a>‘ trepidatious contract outlook, San Francisco could be nearing a complete restart at the WR spot,” Cummings wrote. “Chris Bell can help catalyze that kind of rebuild.<\/p>\n

“At 6’2\u2033, 225 pounds, with over 32\u2033 arms, Bell has the size, contact authority, and uber-explosive RAC profile that Kyle Shanahan craves. But his keen zone intelligence and domineering catch-point skills have helped him field comparisons to A.J. Brown<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

This season, Bell has tallied 72 receptions for 917 yards and six touchdowns through 11 games, all career highs.<\/p>\n

In the second round, the 49ers are projected to shift focus to defense, selecting Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks with the No. 55 overall pick.<\/p>\n

“If Caleb Banks declares for the 2026 NFL Draft, his outlook is uncertain,” Cummings wrote. “But there’s no denying the raw potential he has as an elite athlete with a massive 6’6\u2033, 330-pound frame. Getting Banks with Kris Kocurek would ensure he gets the developmental touch he needs.”<\/p>\n

San Francisco is projected to address the offensive line later in the draft, using the No. 87 overall pick on Iowa guard Kade Pieper.<\/p>\n

“There isn’t a better fit at guard for the 49ers than Kade Pieper: A 6’4\u2033, 290-pound super-athlete who thrives pulling, climbing, and swarming second-level defenders with his range,” Cummings wrote.<\/p>\n

For a complete breakdown of Ian Cummings’ seven-round 2026 NFL mock draft, click here to view the full report<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The San Francisco 49ers appear poised to part ways with veteran wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk continues to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":315153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[5381,64,63,20791,17597,47076,593,9029,1262,85],"class_list":["post-315152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-49ers","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-brandon-aiyuk","tag-jauan-jennings","tag-kyle-shanahan","tag-nfl","tag-ricky-pearsall","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/315153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}