49ers roster: 3 players who benefit the most with Trey Lance
By Peter Panacy
No. 1 player who benefits from Trey Lance: WR Brandon Aiyuk
Going back to that strong-armed element from Trey Lance, there’s one focal point that suggests third-year wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk stands to gain a ton with the new signal-caller taking charge in 2022.
Aiyuk’s early struggles a year ago were well-documented, as Kyle Shanahan frequently asked the former Arizona State standout to run deep routes, only to see his share of targets drop in response to Jimmy Garoppolo’s weaker arm.
It’s something The Krueg Show’s Larry Krueger pointed out to us here on the Niner Noise Podcast earlier, and perhaps it factored into Aiyuk’s early season frustrations before he finally turned it on in the second half of 2021.
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Nevertheless, Aiyuk still managed to showcase reasons why he can be a deep threat, posting a 10.4-yard average depth of target last year, according to Pro Football Focus, which was by far the most out of any of the Niners’ starters.
For reference, Deebo Samuel’s ADOT in 2021 was 7.8.
Lance is the kind of quarterback Aiyuk will need in order for the wideout to fully deploy his arsenal of skills and abilities. On top of that, Lance’s arm strength will finally open up Shanahan’s offense at all three levels, which should help serve the other two players on this list, too.
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