3 reasons why Brandon Aiyuk is even better for 49ers in 2021

No. 3: Brandon Aiyuk will get his first ‘normal’ offseason with 49ers

Granted, nothing is normal in today’s COVID-19 landscape. But Brandon Aiyuk’s rookie year was meet with challenges almost unprecedented in the entirety of NFL history.

Not having an in-person NFL Draft was one thing. But the pandemic also eliminated teams’ offseason workouts, where first-year players needed to partake in rookie minicamps and organized team activities before transitioning to the rigors of training camp and the preseason.

Of all those, only training camp remained. And even it was altered.

Making things more difficult is the fact Kyle Shanahan’s complex offense demands a lot from its wide receivers. Aiyuk had to learn the terminology and observe the routes through online meetings, not by necessarily engaging in on-field practices enough where muscle memory could be developed.

Even worse, Aiyuk suffered a hamstring injury in training camp that cut into his first-year campaign and forced him to miss Week 1.

Again, a key lack of valuable development time.

While it’s still unclear what the league and Santa Clara County’s combined plans are for the 49ers this spring and summer, it’s easy to understand how Aiyuk can better hone his already-impressive skill set by undergoing what would normally be viewed as an essential part of the offseason.