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Brandon Aiyuk is a 49er! Pick #25, 2020 NFL Draft

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couple clips from https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-draft-arizona-states-brandon-aiyuk-an-emerging-star/

Aiyuk doesn't just separate from corners; he completely dusts them. Whether it's with his speed or his route running, Aiyuk consistently finds ways to get open


While this isn't a jaw-dropping level of speed a la Henry Ruggs III or Hollywood Brown, Aiyuk still demonstrates an excellent level of explosiveness in this play. That speed helps Aiyuk make plays after the catch. Currently, Aiyuk has 308 yards after the catch and has also forced 9 missed tackles after the catch. He thrives on contact with the ball in his hands. Aiyuk will test very well at the NFL Draft Combine, if his tape is an accurate indicator of just how fast he is.


Watch the breakaway speed after the catch here. Separation after the catch is just as important as before the catch.


Aiyuk isn't just a speed/YAC player, however. I mentioned above how he is a do-it-all player. While I wouldn't classify Aiyuk as an "elite" route runner, especially in this NFL Draft class, there is a definite upside to his game in this aspect with traits to build off of. He can get in and out of his breaks fairly quick, and his change of direction is top-notch. He hasn't faced a ton of press coverage, but he has beaten it with quick feet off the line.


Another nice trait to see in Aiyuk's game is the ability to track the ball and adjust. I have yet to see him drop a pass so far this season. He does a good job of staying focused on the catch and attacking the football. Aiyuk has good length at 6'1 and has phenomenal hands. Pay attention to this play below.

Originally posted by NYniner85:
Originally posted by NCommand:
Originally posted by NYniner85:
Right and he'd probably be a top 10 pick...you could also say like Deebo as well

Exactly. The Senior Bowl massively helped them there. This one is more on the projection line with Pettis film in the PAC12 but with true insight into his character and drive with help from Herm. That can't be understated. That drive is going to get him through a lot of the TBD items.

I know Ayiuk was suppose to be at the SB, he was one guy I really wanted to see in the drills (probably good for us end of the day). He did still generate some buzz there though.

https://www.profootballnetwork.com/brandon-aiyuk-senior-bowl-buzz-status/

Yeah he's in no way like Pettis from a moxie/drive standpoint. I'm not worried about that. I just felt there was better talent at the WR position and that's not knocking him because he's good.

Agreed. As to the SB, I meant our staff was there first hand to see the dog and leadership in him and fit and try him at different positions to see how well he retains information and works in those multiple positions.
[ Edited by NCommand on May 21, 2020 at 1:05 PM ]
Originally posted by NCommand:
Agreed. As to the SB, I meant our staff was there first hand to see the dog and leadership in him and fit and try him at different positions to see how well he retains information and works in those multiple positions.

Right, that helped for sure. I think it helped Deebo overall though. People had questions with his route-running and getting off the LOS (mainly because he wasn't asked to run a full route-tree at SC).

He showed he could do that at the SB (killed it). Ayiuk could have done the same thing if he was healthy enough IMO.

I'm excited to see Brandon in this offense, would have been real excited to see Lamb though lol.
As I said after they drafted him I don't care what his 40 time was at the combine. I know he had that injury which likely accounted for the slower time but his tape shows more than enough speed and a gut that makes big plays.
My concern with Shanahan sometimes is that I think he focuses too much on schematic fit on offense. You need guys that can go beyond the scheme so that in the case that a team finds a way to beat your concepts, your guys can still line up and simply win the one on one battle through their sheer edge in talent/natural abilities. Too big, too fast, too quick, too strong, and/or too smart for the opponent.

Kittle is one of those guys. Can Aiyuk be that guy in some way? We'll see. If he can consistently use that elite wingspan to his advantage, he certainly could. My hope is that Hurd and maybe even Jennings can also be players like that at WR. Hurd and Jennings both have the size and raw strength to be considered open even when covered.

Ultimately, while I know Shanahan's offense should rarely struggle to move the ball, I just don't want teams to be able to clamp down on short-to-intermediate "designed for RAC" stuff. Our offense could truly be a dominant and balanced force if guys like Aiyuk, Hurd, and Jennings pan out, paired with Deebo and Kittle.
[ Edited by OnTheClock on May 21, 2020 at 1:38 PM ]
Originally posted by OnTheClock:
My concern with Shanahan sometimes is that I think he focuses too much on schematic fit on offense. You need guys that can go beyond the scheme so that in the case that a team finds a way to beat your concepts, your guys can still line up and simply win the one on one battle through their sheer edge in talent/natural abilities. Too big, too fast, too quick, too strong, and/or too smart for the opponent.

Kittle is one of those guys. Can Aiyuk be that guy in some way? We'll see. If he can consistently use that elite wingspan to his advantage, he certainly could. My hope is that Hurd and maybe even Jennings can also be players like that at WR. Hurd and Jennings both have the size and raw strength to be considered open even when covered.

Ultimately, while I know Shanahan's offense should rarely struggle to move the ball, I just don't want teams to be able to clamp down on short-to-intermediate "designed for RAC" stuff. Our offense could truly be a dominant and balanced force if guys like Aiyuk, Hurd, and Jennings pan out, paired with Deebo and Kittle.

I feel like the emergence of Kittle helped k**e see that he should be building a bully on offense. Look at the pickups on offense after Kittles breakout year. Deebo, Hurd, Jennings, Big Nasty.

Lol did I accidentally slur the Jewish people instead of typing kyle? Not sure why its blocked
[ Edited by walker807 on May 21, 2020 at 2:30 PM ]
Originally posted by NYniner85:
Originally posted by NCommand:
Agreed. As to the SB, I meant our staff was there first hand to see the dog and leadership in him and fit and try him at different positions to see how well he retains information and works in those multiple positions.

Right, that helped for sure. I think it helped Deebo overall though. People had questions with his route-running and getting off the LOS (mainly because he wasn't asked to run a full route-tree at SC).

He showed he could do that at the SB (killed it). Ayiuk could have done the same thing if he was healthy enough IMO.

I'm excited to see Brandon in this offense, would have been real excited to see Lamb though lol.

No question. Great point about helping Deebo too.

Dude...Lamb is a f**king monster. I really really hate Dallas even more now.
[ Edited by NCommand on May 21, 2020 at 3:42 PM ]
  • 91til
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Originally posted by Dshearn:
Originally posted by Heroism:
Originally posted by NCommand:
Brian Peacock had a real nice objective podcast breakdown of Aiyuk's strengths and weaknesses.

It covered many of the same concerns I had for Pettis coming out of the PAC12 with one major difference; drive.

I wanted to list those "concerns" here so fans can keep an eye out for growth in these areas as well as develop realistic expectations for him. Again, these are just "concerns"...common to any rookie coming into the NFL:

1. Arms the length of a 6'7" player but doesn't play like that and in fact, let's a lot of balls come into the body; needs to become more of a hands catcher to utilize that big advantage including 40" vertical leaping.
2. One real year of production including as a kick returner. Raw but not a project.
3. Teams scouted him to be a CB. Went to Arizona State so he could play WR.
4. Core muscle surgery after the combine.
5. Limited experience in the slot.
6. PAC12 competition and DB's were garbage. Best competition he had was against Utah (CB drafted) and he had 1 catch for 7 yards.
7. Poor contested catches, only caught 3 of 14 in his career.
8. Some false steps like Pettis throwing off timing.
9. Did not see much press coverage and when he did, it wasn't good.
10. WCO terminology is going to be a huge learning curve for him.

We already know all his strengths!


A lot of those "concerns" are dumb.

-One year production because he was behind N'Keal Harry.

-Limited experience in the slot is a concern? wut

-College defenses don't play press. Can't see something that doesn't exist very much in any conference. Draftniks said the same thing about Deebo.

-No s**t the WCO terminology is going to be a learning curve--it is for every prospect, even NFL vets. Deebo came out of the SEC and admitted he struggled with the terminology.

That's one of the pitfalls with media nowadays--everyone can have a platform, even the ones who shouldn't.

its almost as if we should universally have concerns as young players move their scale of experience to a profession league and adjust our expectations accordingly.

I dunno....maybe we could even come up with a label to give these players to separate them experienced veterans......

Maybe we can get really fancy and derive the word from Latin, like the white robe types do. We could make a word that carries double meaning.... like the derivative of Recruit.... Something that means you have to learn on the job like the latin word Rook. Something that implies your new-ness to the job at hand and lets everyone know your still learning.

Eh....might be too complicated

Originally posted by NCommand:
No question. Great point about helping Deebo too.

Dude...Lamb is a f**king monster. I really really hate Dallas even more now.

I wanted lamb since rugs was gone. Hopefully Aiyuk works out for us and Kyle didn't overthink s**t...
Originally posted by OnTheClock:
My concern with Shanahan sometimes is that I think he focuses too much on schematic fit on offense. You need guys that can go beyond the scheme so that in the case that a team finds a way to beat your concepts, your guys can still line up and simply win the one on one battle through their sheer edge in talent/natural abilities. Too big, too fast, too quick, too strong, and/or too smart for the opponent.

Kittle is one of those guys. Can Aiyuk be that guy in some way? We'll see. If he can consistently use that elite wingspan to his advantage, he certainly could. My hope is that Hurd and maybe even Jennings can also be players like that at WR. Hurd and Jennings both have the size and raw strength to be considered open even when covered.

Ultimately, while I know Shanahan's offense should rarely struggle to move the ball, I just don't want teams to be able to clamp down on short-to-intermediate "designed for RAC" stuff. Our offense could truly be a dominant and balanced force if guys like Aiyuk, Hurd, and Jennings pan out, paired with Deebo and Kittle.

Tell that to Belichick.
I need some god damn core muscle repair news
  • da209
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Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:
I need some god damn core muscle repair news

He posted some video on his ig. He was doing core workouts. Looked good to me.
  • mayo49
  • Veteran
  • Posts: 64,320
Originally posted by da209:
Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:
I need some god damn core muscle repair news

He posted some video on his ig. He was doing core workouts. Looked good to me.

It better not be an issue.
  • Giedi
  • Veteran
  • Posts: 33,368
Originally posted by mayo49:
Originally posted by da209:
Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:
I need some god damn core muscle repair news

He posted some video on his ig. He was doing core workouts. Looked good to me.

It better not be an issue.
I really can't wait to see Jimmy throw him a deep ball if he really is a 4.3 guy. I'm wondering if Aiyuk's speed was a factor in the Goodwin trade.

Speed/Burst – Aiyuk is a burner. He is a legitimate contender to run a 4.3 40-time and is capable of blowing past defenders in a flash. He will routinely force soft coverage as defenders attempt to prevent him from getting behind them. Recruiting Analytics measured Aiyuk reaching a top speed of 20.9 mph on one touchdown reception against Oregon in 2019.
https://www.sportsmediapass.com/2020/02/13/2020-nfl-draft-scouting-report-arizona-states-brandon-aiyuk/
  • okdkid
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Originally posted by NYniner85:
couple clips from https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-draft-arizona-states-brandon-aiyuk-an-emerging-star/

Aiyuk doesn't just separate from corners; he completely dusts them. Whether it's with his speed or his route running, Aiyuk consistently finds ways to get open


While this isn't a jaw-dropping level of speed a la Henry Ruggs III or Hollywood Brown, Aiyuk still demonstrates an excellent level of explosiveness in this play. That speed helps Aiyuk make plays after the catch. Currently, Aiyuk has 308 yards after the catch and has also forced 9 missed tackles after the catch. He thrives on contact with the ball in his hands. Aiyuk will test very well at the NFL Draft Combine, if his tape is an accurate indicator of just how fast he is.


Watch the breakaway speed after the catch here. Separation after the catch is just as important as before the catch.


Aiyuk isn't just a speed/YAC player, however. I mentioned above how he is a do-it-all player. While I wouldn't classify Aiyuk as an "elite" route runner, especially in this NFL Draft class, there is a definite upside to his game in this aspect with traits to build off of. He can get in and out of his breaks fairly quick, and his change of direction is top-notch. He hasn't faced a ton of press coverage, but he has beaten it with quick feet off the line.


Another nice trait to see in Aiyuk's game is the ability to track the ball and adjust. I have yet to see him drop a pass so far this season. He does a good job of staying focused on the catch and attacking the football. Aiyuk has good length at 6'1 and has phenomenal hands. Pay attention to this play below.


He was always WR1 in this draft. Elite separation. Elite off the line. Elite speed.

Glad people are waking up.
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