"When I talk to (49ers receivers coach) Wes (Welker), he's just always talking about how he's going to push me," new San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk told reporters on Thursday night, "how he's going to make me better. He's just going to continuously push me daily, which is something that I love, and something that I'm excited for."
Leading to the draft, Welker spoke with the former Arizona State wideout often via FaceTime, 49ers VP of player personnel Adam Peters said during a conversation with team reporter Keiana Martin on Friday.
"He told me that one of the things that stood out (while) talking with Brandon was just how coachable he was," Peters said, "how much he wanted to be great. And that really stood out to him. And obviously, you see on tape, this is a guy who comes up big in big moments. There's third downs, fourth downs.
"I remember he played a fourth down against Oregon State, where he stepped up, made a big play, and getting the lead. They ended up losing the game, but things like that really make you gravitate to a player like him."
On Thursday, Kyle Shanahan spoke of Aiyuk's versatility on the football field, and Peters' description of the receiver mirrored those of the head coach.
"Brandon stood out to us for a number of reasons," Peters explained. "I mean, there's not a whole lot of weaknesses in his game. He can play inside, he can play outside, he can run routes inside, he can run the deep route outside."
The 49ers weren't content with sitting at No. 31 and hoping Aiyuk fell to them. They heard chatter that the Miami Dolphins were interested in the receiver at No. 26, so the team leapfrogged them to snag Aiyuk.
"He's just an outstanding competitor," Peters added. "He's a playmaker."