3 SF 49ers who stood out for the right reasons vs. Washington

No. 1: SF 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk

One of the brightest spots for the entire 2020 season has been the development of rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who had maybe his best game as a pro during Sunday’s loss to Washington.

Aiyuk finished with a career-high 10 receptions (on 16 targets) for an also career-best 119 yards, 69 of which came after the catch.

San Francisco 49ers

Not only was Aiyuk quarterback Nick Mullens’ most trusted target, but he also appeared to be the steadiest, as Pro Football Focus dinged him with just one drop, while Kendrick Bourne had two and running back Jeff Wilson and tight end Jordan Reed each had one.

Most importantly, Aiyuk doesn’t look like a rookie out there, running his routes effectively and correctly, meaning he can be counted on to be where he’s supposed to be.

That performance brings his season totals to 50 catches for 660 yards, 256 of which have come after the catch, and puts him 267 yards short of breaking Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s record for receiving yards by a 49ers rookie.

With fellow wideout Deebo Samuel hurting his hamstring again on the first offensive play of the game on Sunday, Aiyuk looks to once again become the focal point of the offense, so it stands to reason that he could eclipse Rice’s record, or at least overtake Samuel’s 802 yards and move into second on the list.

For the record, Rice himself is totally into the idea of Aiyuk breaking the record, and given the state of the other pass-catchers for the SF 49ers, it appears as if the rookie will at least get a chance to do so.

In many ways, 2020 has been a lost season for the SF 49ers, but the development of Aiyuk and fellow first-round pick, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, has been vital to the team remaining competitive this season and building hope for the future.

The receiver’s performance on Sunday was yet another in what will hopefully be a long line of them for Aiyuk as a member of the SF 49ers.