49ers NFL Draft: 5 fun facts about Brandon Aiyuk
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Brandon Aiyuk’s Stats at Sierra College Got Him Noticed
Starting off at a small school like Sierra College probably meant Brandon Aiyuk wasn’t destined to be a first-round NFL Draft pick.
But those first two years at Sierra College stood out enough for ASU to take notice.
His freshman season, Aiyuk managed a solid 573 receiving yards on 29 receptions with five touchdowns. The following year, however, Aiyuk nearly hit 1,000 receiving yards and managed 14 touchdown receptions.
And at times, Sierra College experimented with Aiyuk as a running back. The year before he transferred to ASU, Aiyuk managed 59 rush yards on 13 carries plus another touchdown, bringing his yearly total to 15 scores in that department.
“So, with my back background, I played running back early on in my career, so I just feel like that contributes to the yards after the catch,” Aiyuk said. “After I catch the football, I kind of just change back into that running back that I was early on.”
Yardage after the catch was one of the reasons the 49ers were interested.