49ers 2021 ‘Who is?’ series: Why Brandon Aiyuk emerges as a star

The 49ers received Rookie of the Year-type play from Brandon Aiyuk in 2020, but there are reasons to believe he’ll break out in a big way in 2021.

Yes, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson caught all the headlines at his position among rookies in 2020.

But those shouldn’t overshadow what the San Francisco 49ers enjoyed with their own first-round NFL Draft rookie wideout, Brandon Aiyuk, last year.

Aiyuk, the 25th overall pick from the 2020 draft, had an ominous start to his pro career out of ASU, first missing many of the team’s offseason workouts because of the pandemic, then suffering a hamstring injury in the middle of training camp.

While many first-year players across the league struggled with this, Aiyuk seemed to take everything in stride and managed to become one of the Niners’ top-performing offensive players despite a year chock full of injuries and frustrations elsewhere.

Aiyuk, too, wasn’t immune to the setbacks. But considering he threatened Hall of Famer Jerry Rice‘s franchise record of most receiving yards in team history (927 set back in 1985) and did so over just 12 games played, it’s pretty phenomenal to think the kind of impact Aiyuk is potentially capable of having from this point onward.

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And it wasn’t as if these efforts were merely pedestrian either.

All one needs to do is recall that amazing leaping touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles to see how Aiyuk has some star power to him:

In Niner Noise’s inaugural “Who Is?” analysis of each player on the offseason roster in 2021, let’s break down why the second-year pro improves, why he could regress and what to expect from him this upcoming season.

Why Brandon Aiyuk improves with 49ers in 2021

Go back to Aiyuk’s receiving numbers from last season, then extrapolate them over a full 16-game slate. If he had stayed healthy and kept the averages going, he would have had 80 catches on the year for 997 yards and six touchdowns through the air.

And it’s likely head coach Kyle Shanahan would have continued using him as a dual-threat runner, too, thereby increasing his value.

Not only would that have broken Rice’s record, but it would stamp Aiyuk as San Francisco’s true WR1, even above now third-year pro Deebo Samuel.

Getting Samuel back fully healthy from a multitude of injuries last season should help. Same with tight end George Kittle, as both players missed significant chunks of time in 2020 and ultimately left Aiyuk battling as the 49ers’ top receiving target in too many games.

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Even so, Aiyuk had two games with 100-plus receiving yards and also came close with two more in which he crested 90 yards. Not bad for a first-year player on an offensively challenged team.

On top of that, and perhaps what’s even more remarkable, Aiyuk did this with three different quarterbacks tossing him the ball. With the receiving now more acclimated within Shanahan’s offense and some hopeful consistency under center, there’s a strong chance Aiyuk emerges as a bona fide stud at the position who’ll become recognized across the league, not just within 49ers circles.

Why Brandon Aiyuk regresses with 49ers in 2021

Last year proved Aiyuk could be a superstar at the NFL level. And the thought of him enjoying a relatively fully healthy offensive crop this season should only bolster his value to Shanahan and Co.

That said, Aiyuk wouldn’t be alone in Niners players who’ve undergone some sort of second-year slump. Samuel underwent something like this last year, mainly due to injuries, after impressing his rookie season back in 2019. And it can be common across the league for players to hit some sort of wall after having a rookie-year breakout.

Just hopefully not to the level former San Francisco wideout Dante Pettis endured after 2018.

For a concrete concern, however, Aiyuk and Samuel essentially headline the list of 49ers wide receivers this offseason. Behind them, the depth is awfully thin, and the Niners are still searching for a viable No. 3 option to replace Kendrick Bourne, who departed via free agency to the New England Patriots.

Bourne was good enough last year to take pressure off Aiyuk, even if it was modest, and the lack of a tertiary wideout on the roster could ultimately mean more opponents’ top coverage defenders wind up queueing their attention on a now-proven Aiyuk.

If he responds well, it’s not a big issue. Yet if it’s a challenge, Aiyuk could hit his own sophomore slump.

Expected role, impact with 49ers this season

Shanahan doesn’t typically deploy his wide receivers in the traditional WR1, WR2, slot formation, and the head coach will look to who’s the most reliable and consistent.

Aiyuk has proven that already and could almost be in line for whatever WR1 designation at the top of the depth chart would be. Granted, it would help to have both Samuel and Kittle acting as complementary pieces on the field, taking pressure of Aiyuk and lessening the times where he’s facing two defensive backs.

But the bigger kicker should probably be some more consistent quarterbacking, starting off with Jimmy Garoppolo, instead of having to catch passes from no-longer-Niners backups, Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard.

Assuming that chemistry pans out well and Aiyuk stays healthy, there’s no reason to assume he won’t hit that noteworthy 1,000-yard receiving plateau with another 100, or so, yards mixed in on the ground as a runner.

Anything more could possibly put Aiyuk into the discussion for a Pro Bowl accolade, too, which would cement his status as one of the league’s top young risers this upcoming season.