Speed kills.
That’s something that the Los Angeles Chargers have been lacking at the wide receiver position. The talent is there with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams highlighting the group, but they could be touted as one of the best corps in the league if they were to add a dynamic play-maker at the position.
Insert former Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Aiyuk was a phenomenal wideout in his two years at Sierra College – a community college in Northern California. He totaled 2,499 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns in his two-year career. He had a few offers, including Alabama, Tennessee, Kansas and Arizona State.
But ASU was one of few schools that actually wanted him to play receiver and a return specialist, not a cornerback, so he elected to play for the Sun Devils. After two years of junior college, Aiyuk was immediately inserted into the wide receiver rotation upon arriving.
In 2018, he caught 33 passes that season for 474 yards and three touchdowns. Little did we know that Aiyuk was about to be in store for a monster senior season after the offense was more tailored to former teammate and current Patriots wideout N’Keal Harry.
Serving as freshman phenom quarterback Jayden Daniel’s go-to guy, Aiyuk was targeted 99 times in 2019, hauling in 65 of them for 1,192 yards and eight touchdowns. Dangerous with the ball in his hands, he was near unstoppable after the catch with 18.3 yards per reception.
In a league where getting open and stretching the field has become a must to have offensive success, there’s no denying that Aiyuk has a skillset that matches what is being needed in today’s NFL.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, Aiyuk has been blessed with an uncommon blend of burst, agility and track-like long speed.
Aiyuk changes speeds and direction incredibly well. He makes dynamic cuts that showcase tremendous acceleration, putting his foot in the ground without losing any speed and exploding upfield.
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Aiyuk, who’s expected to run in the low 4.4’s, is capable of blowing right by defensive backs on vertical routes if they play in off-man coverage or they simply don’t get their hands on him.
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He’s also explosive as a return specialist. He averaged 34 yards per kick return and 16 yards per punt return. That special teams ability could allow Aiyuk to make an immediate impact for the Chargers, knowing they have struggled to find a consistent return man.
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The area where Aiyuk will have to improve in is being more consistent with using his hands to defeat press coverage. He needs to get better in contested catch situations as he doesn’t have the “go get it” mentality as much to extend throwing windows.
However, Aiyuk’s play-making athleticism is what would be the selling point for the Bolts.
The former Arizona State product is currently being viewed as a top-50 prospect, which means that the second-round is where they would likely have to draft him.
It seems a bit rich to address the wide receiver position that early even though it is a positional group that needs to be solidified. But general manager Tom Telesco could see this as an opportunity to give whoever is behind center another dynamic option.
The thought of Allen in the slot, Williams as the X, Aiyuk as the Z and tight end Hunter Henry would force defensive coordinators to really draw up an efficient game-plan to stop this prolific group on a weekly basis.
