Brandon Aiyuk wasn’t at the top of the list of the 2020 NFL draft wide receiver class, but he may just be the perfect fit for a 49ers offense that’s moving away from traditional positional roles.
While Aiyuk wasn’t as versatile as Deebo Samuel in college, he brings a similar skill set while presenting more of a vertical threat. He averaged 18.3 yards per reception last season at Arizona State with eight touchdowns. He was a big play waiting to happen.
San Francisco needed to replace Emmanuel Sanders at the top of their depth chart, and Aiyuk may be able to do that and then some. He can work underneath thanks to savvy route running and ridiculously long 33 1/2-inch arms for his 6-0, 205-pound frame.
He’s a good athlete after the catch too, and can take short throws and turn them into chunk plays – a staple in 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Aiyuk is also capable of stretching the field vertically, although that’s not the strongest part of his game.
There’s a world, one that Shanahan’s probably envisioning, where the 49ers are impossible to predict based on their formations and personnel. Aiyuk can do a little bit of everything as a receiver, and he’s athletic enough to run some of the jet sweeps and end arounds that Samuel was so good at last season,
If Aiyuk develops quickly, it’s going to be a nightmare to defend the 49ers with him, Samuel, and George Kittle all on the field at the same time. Everything San Francisco has done offensively over the last couple offseasons has been geared toward ‘position-less’ football, and the Aiyuk acquisition is just another step in that direction.