SF 49ers: 5 young players fans should be excited about in 2021

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Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

No. 1: SF Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk

For the first time in what seems like a long while, San Francisco has two bona fide wide receiver threats, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

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Samuel should be exciting to watch in his own right, especially after missing the bulk of 2020 with various injuries yet setting a standard his rookie season the year before. But one could make the argument Aiyuk could be far more prolific as a receiver, both complementing Samuel and benefiting from his presence on the field at the same time.

That last element wasn’t something the SF 49ers enjoyed too much last year, as neither receiver seemed to be healthy at the same time.

Despite this, Aiyuk still made the most of his chances with three different quarterbacks throwing him the ball, a banged-up cast of skill players and an inconsistent offense all the way to threatening Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s franchise rookie-season receiving record. Aiyuk reached 748 receiving yards and five touchdowns, plus another two rushing, despite playing in only 12 games.

Imagine what a fully healthy crop of offensive players and a complete season could do for Aiyuk’s numbers.

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Aiyuk, just like Javon Kinlaw, could take that next leap his second season and emerge as one of the Niners’ primary offensive threats.