SF 49ers next superstar will be wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk

The SF 49ers have dealt with plenty of frustrations in 2020, but wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has proven to be an absolute gem.

The SF 49ers could have had their choice of rookie wide receivers Jerry Jeudy or CeeDee Lamb in the 2020 NFL Draft. Or they could have had former LSU wideout Justin Jefferson.

Instead, head coach Kyle Shanahan tabbed ASU standout receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

And while the other names could have been excellent additions to the Niners offense, Aiyuk is looking like he’ll be the real deal. Perhaps San Francisco’s next superstar player in the mold of tight end George Kittle or EDGE Nick Bosa.

Not much has gone right for the injury-riddled SF 49ers this season. Even Aiyuk, the No. 25 overall pick in this year’s draft, has dealt with setbacks, including a hamstring injury during training camp and being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list that combined to force him to miss three out of a possible 12 games.

Still, Aiyuk is providing a massive impact for a shorthanded Niners offense.

Through those nine games have provided quite the noticeable thump. His 40 catches for 541 receiving yards and four touchdowns all lead San Francisco’s pass-catchers this season. While it’s a longshot he reaches Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice‘s franchise-record rookie mark of 927 receiving yards set back in 1985, the fact Aiyuk could even be in that discussion with four games left on the year is telling.

Especially when you consider the following from Pro Football Focus:

https://twitter.com/PFF_Fantasy/status/1336400676725944323

What’s even crazier is Aiyuk could stand to get even better, both in the very near future and in 2021, too.

SF 49ers: How Brandon Aiyuk emerges as a superstar

San Francisco is only beginning to scratch the surface of benefiting from the lethal tandem of both Aiyuk and second-year wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The two have only played four games together this season, each affected by different setbacks.

And while the SF 49ers lost their Week 13 bout against the Buffalo Bills, both receivers combined for 168 receiving yards and a touchdown.

That doesn’t even account for Kittle, who’ll likely be back in force in 2021 after suffering a foot fracture earlier this year.

One could make the argument Aiyuk winds up receiving the least amount of attention out of this trio, at least initially next season. Kittle will command a lot of it. Samuel will, too, leaving Aiyuk as potentially the third coverage priority by opposing defenses.

Advantage: Aiyuk.

Yet there’s another wrinkle to the mix here. The Niners haven’t enjoyed consistent quarterbacking play this season, relying more on No. 2 quarterback Nick Mullens more than they’d like. Yet even Mullens found Aiyuk for a massive 49-yard gain in Week 13, which shows yet another element to Aiyuk’s game San Francisco hasn’t fully exploited yet:

Aiyuk’s speed and solid route-running abilities combine to make him a deep threat. Whether it be Mullens or starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the SF 49ers haven’t truly established their deep-passing offense over the last two seasons with any sort of regularity.

If Shanahan somehow finds a way to add that element to his offensive arsenal, Aiyuk could end up being a home-run threat on every snap.

That’s dangerous.

It only gets better when one envisions a fully healthy crop of offensive weapons at Shanahan’s disposal, opening up even more chances for Aiyuk to rip off those chunk gains like the one seen against the Bills.

Could the Niners have made a different choice with their second first-round pick in this year’s draft? Of course, they could have.

Yet the results are beginning to prove they made the right one by swiping on Aiyuk.