Brandon Aiyuk can finally deliver 49ers a breakout season in 2022

The 49ers have received solid production from Brandon Aiyuk the last two seasons, but 2022 might wind up being his biggest jump to date.

Ah, yes. It’s time for Niner Noise to dish out our annual “Who is?” series on players. We might not be calling it that anymore, but the breakdown of each player on the San Francisco 49ers’ 90-man offseason roster will continue nonetheless.

And since we do it in alphabetical order (mostly), we’ll kick off the 2022 installment by looking at third-year wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

The Niners’ first-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft wasn’t quite on the level of Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson in year one, but Aiyuk was solid nonetheless, even threatening Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s franchise record for a rookie, set back in 1985, by accumulating 748 yards on 60 receptions for five touchdowns over 11 games played.

Statistically, Aiyuk’s sophomore campaign was better, but it’s important to note Aiyuk played in 16 games instead of 11.

So his yardage totals per game took a noticeable dip when compared to 2020:

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 5/20/2022.

There are a few reasons for this. For starters, in 2020, fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel missed nine games with various injuries, meaning Aiyuk almost became the de facto No. 1 wideout on the depth chart by default.

Additionally, as fans may remember, the first half of 2021 looked as if Aiyuk was squarely in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse.

Shanahan wholly denied this, of course, but it didn’t change the narrative for much of the first half of last season. And it also didn’t help when Samuel kickstarted his torrid pace en route to 1,770 all-purpose yards in 2021, undeniably taking away touches that could have gone Aiyuk’s way.

Samuel’s own team drama aside, could 2022 finally be the year in which Aiyuk turns into a 1,000-yard receiver and essentially breaks out as a legitimate weapon San Francisco has long coveted to pair with Samuel and tight end George Kittle?

Let’s take a deeper look.

Why Brandon Aiyuk improves with 49ers in 2022

Doghouses may not be a thing, but it’s important to note the role Kyle Shanahan had for Brandon Aiyuk for much of the early portion of 2021 wasn’t exactly enticing enough.

As Larry Krueger of The Krueg Show told the Niner Noise Podcast earlier this spring, Shanahan frequently asked Aiyuk to be the offense’s deep threat, drawing coverage away from passing routes underneath, and this likely led to some frustrations on Aiyuk’s part, as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo‘s relative lack of arm strength couldn’t take advantage of Aiyuk getting deep.

Two things will change in 2022, though.

Garoppolo will give way to strong-armed quarterback Trey Lance, who has no problem delivering deep balls despite what critics may say, and the 49ers’ Round 3 draft selection of former SMU wide receiver Danny Gray gives Shanahan that true deep threat.

Aiyuk, at least in theory, should be freed up to catch more passes from Lance this season than he could have from Garoppolo a year ago.

That’s important to note, too. For whatever the reasons, Aiyuk and Garoppolo never truly developed a top-notch bit of chemistry. Plus, if Deebo Samuel ends up holding out of offseason workouts and potentially training camp, Lance’s No. 1 target this spring will likely be Aiyuk.

On the surface, that should translate well over into the upcoming season.

Why Brandon Aiyuk regresses with 49ers in 2022

With two years in the books now, Brandon Aiyuk has appeared to be a good receiver with the capability of making any play from any spot on the field, especially when he’s lined up against man coverage.

However, 2021 was supposed to be that breakout year. And while injuries played a minor role in him getting off to a slow start, it was Deebo Samuel who flat-out stole the show last season.

Assuming Samuel comes back, it’s likely the Niners will want to make him happy and reward him with as many touches as possible, which could be compounded by the likelihood of George Kittle needing to revert back into being another San Francisco alpha pass-catcher this season.

Read More: Year 3 is going to be critical for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk

If both cases prove to be true, plus with the uncertainty about whether or not Trey Lance is going to be fully effective as a legitimate passer in a starter’s role, there are only going to be so many high-profile touches to go around, and Aiyuk already seems slated for tertiary roles behind Samuel and Kittle.

Plus, if a rookie like Danny Gray and his 4.33 40-yard speed wind up making a bigger impact than expected, even more looks will go in other directions than Aiyuk.

It might not lead to a massive regression, at least numbers-wise. But there’s equally as good a chance Aiyuk merely replicates the kind of stats seen over the last two years.

What to expect from Brandon Aiyuk this season

Brandon Aiyuk likely would have been the biggest benefactor, had the 49ers moved Deebo Samuel during the offseason.

That’s still a possibility, yes, but it seems less and less likely with each passing week leading up to the regular season. Despite that, one should probably shake off the notion that Aiyuk will start off as slow as he did a year ago, meaning he should feasibly get a jump on getting closer to 1,000 yards in contrast to 2021.

Much of this hinges on Trey Lance, of course. But if there’s one player who stands to benefit the most from Lance’s capabilities, it’s Aiyuk.

As such, a 1,000-yard campaign certainly isn’t out of the question.

Still, Aiyuk is poised to play “second fiddle” to Samuel in 2022, the proverbial “John Taylor to Jerry Rice” from the Niners’ heydays in the 1980s.

That’s not necessarily a bad role, though, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Aiyuk have some of those monster games from time to time when opposing defenses are doing everything they can to lock down Samuel.

Aiyuk, at his best this season, won’t be putting himself into any leaderboard discussions, but that 1,000-yard campaign would certainly be an excellent goal.