5 most explosive players on 49ers offense entering 2021
By Peter Panacy
49ers Explosive Player No. 2: Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk
Out of all the players in the league who could have a breakout-kind of campaign in year two of their respective careers, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has to be close to the top of the list.
Kyle Shanahan also used Aiyuk in a way not unlike Deebo Samuel, featuring the former ASU standout on various rushes to further bolster his already impressive rookie stock level. Last year, Aiyuk rushed for 77 total yards, averaging 12.8 yards per carry in the process en route to two touchdowns on the ground.
But what was more impressive, of course, was Aiyuk hauling in 60 passes for 748 yards, which threatened Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s franchise record for most receiving yards for a rookie — 927 set back in 1985.
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Rice reached that mark over 16 games played, whereas Aiyuk had his totals with four less games played. If one was to extrapolate the split of 748 yards on 12 games to a full 16-game season, Aiyuk would have had 997 total receiving yards, breaking Rice’s record.
Anytime a player even gets mentioned in the same conversation as Rice, it’s special. For Aiyuk to have been in this position in the first place while having three different quarterbacks trying to get him the ball?
Well, that’s both explosive and special.