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As receiver Brandon Aiyuk enters his third season, the jury is out on whether he will become what the 49ers expected him to be when they traded up in the first round of the 2020 draft to get him.
There is reason for optimism that he is ready to make the leap. Coach Kyle Shanahan explained to reporters Saturday the things Ayuk is doing to improve.
“He’s developing in all the things he’s needed to do to get better,” Shanahan said. “He’s coming off the ball every play, running full speed every play, he’s not playing slow anymore. He doesn’t sit there and fight guys with his hands. He does it with his legs, with his hips, creating edges by running, breaking. If you want to be discovered in this league, you have to be so brutal in the way you run and put your knees in the ground and everything. And this is very difficult for boys. They do it three days in a row and sometimes have to take a week off. That’s why it’s so important how these guys prepare. And it’s hard when we’re not around him, but BA, he did it all when he was away from us, he did it all during OTAs and his body can handle everything he does, and that’s why he’s getting better now.”
As a rookie, Ayuk had 60 catches for 748 yards and five touchdowns. Last year, he caught 56 passes for 826 yards and five scores.
The Packers were hoping to get either Justin Jefferson or Aiyuk before the 49ers traded up to get him. The move squashed the moves to grab quarterback Jordan Love.
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