Daniel Jeremiah talks 49ers offseason moves, draft targets, Myles Garrett, Brandon Aiyuk

NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Wednesday to discuss the San Francisco 49ers' offseason moves and what could be next for the team in the 2026 NFL Draft.

49ers add offensive firepower with Evans and Kirk

Jeremiah praised the 49ers' offseason moves of bringing back linebacker Dre Greenlaw and trading for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. However, he highlighted the acquisitions of wide receivers Mike Evans and Christian Kirk.

"The Mike Evans thing, to me, is going to be huge just because it's a red-zone league, and you've got, now, even at this age, a premier red-zone target down there," Jeremiah said. "Shanahan's so good schematically, and Brock is so good at being able to sift and sort through all that stuff when you're between the 20s. They're going to be able to carve people up, schematically, and attack that way.

"A lot of times, I feel like once you get inside the red zone, it's a little less about how well your play is designed and a little bit more about just the Jimmys and Joes—who can win, who are ball-winners. And that's Mike Evans, his entire career. So I really like that fit."

Jeremiah also noted Kirk's professionalism and leadership.

"And then, Christian Kirk is just a consummate professional, who every team that he's been on, everybody just seems to love him as a dude," he said. "So I think he'll fit right in."

Is there a trade market for Brandon Aiyuk?

The 49ers are expected to part ways with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk this offseason. While a trade is preferred to recoup any value, a release remains the most likely scenario.

Jeremiah noted that there appears to be little interest in Aiyuk from other teams, largely due to his limited communication during his recovery from 2024 ACL and MCL injuries. No one knows where Aiyuk is, physically or mentally, because the receiver has been out of touch, making it challenging to figure out where he might fit in.

"Talking to people around the league, the name has not come up at all," Jeremiah said. "So, that one—that's a mystery."

49ers' draft strategy with a win-now mentality

San Francisco does not pick until No. 27 overall. Jeremiah believes the team should prioritize an edge rusher, offensive tackle, and wide receiver—in that order—if it maintains a win-now mindset.

Jeremiah argues that edge rusher ranks first because the 49ers can rely on Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz at tackle this season and address the position in 2027—if necessary.

Potential edge rusher targets include former Miami defensive end Akheem Mesidor.

"One of the interesting ones, to me, is a guy like Mesidor because he can kick inside and rush inside as well, and you could have a pretty dynamic package with him being able to do that on some third-down situations," Jeremiah said. "So, he's an interesting one."

Former Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell is another option.

"Howell would give you the fast ball that would be fun to watch in that system as well, in an attacking front," he said.

If the 49ers trade back, Jeremiah sees former UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence as a solid fit.

Myles Garrett would be an 'unbelievable fit'

Jeremiah emphasized that he does not expect the Cleveland Browns to trade defensive end Myles Garrett. However, he sounded a little disappointed, as he would love to see Garrett line up on the 49ers' defensive front.

"I don't expect or anticipate that we'll see a Myles Garrett trade, but you talk about someone who was put on this earth to play in the scheme that the 49ers run, it would be Myles Garrett," Jeremiah said. "He would be an unbelievable fit, and I just can't imagine a world in which a healthy Nick Bosa was on the opposite side. That would be scary indeed."

He added, "I would be willing to discuss a lot of picks and a lot of different players to make that happen if he ever did become available."

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