Brandon Aiyuk holding his own among 49ers' array of offensive stars

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Even aft posting a 4th consecutive stat enactment with astatine slightest six receptions and 80 receiving yards, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk couldn't assistance but lament the 1 drawback helium didn't make.

Aiyuk and the Niners had conscionable defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 22-16 connected Nov. 13, and Aiyuk had done his portion with six grabs for 84 yards. But erstwhile helium went location and watched the crippled film, it was a third-down driblet successful the extremity portion that helium couldn't shake.

With astir 9 minutes near successful the 3rd quarter, Aiyuk mislaid his defender with a cleanable in-breaking way and dropped a walk from Jimmy Garoppolo that deed him successful the chest.

"On the field, I didn't cognize it was similar a gimme, a freebie, wide open," Aiyuk said. "So erstwhile I saw the movie it was adjacent much sickening. But I was conscionable telling my friends and household leaving the edifice that those are the ones that similar astatine the extremity of the play erstwhile everything is each said and done, it volition ever beryllium positive 1 that should person been there."

While Aiyuk missed that casual touchdown chance, you'd beryllium hard-pressed to find much missed opportunities for the third-year wideout successful 2022. In fact, connected a squad afloat of established stars specified arsenic Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey, Aiyuk's emergence has flown nether the radar.

Ten games into the season, Aiyuk is starring the 49ers successful receiving yards (587) and touchdowns (six). In the four-game agelong earlier the Niners bushed the Arizona Cardinals connected Monday night, Aiyuk had 27 catches for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns. And portion his streak of astatine slightest six and 80 ended successful Mexico City, Aiyuk much than atoned for that by turning some of his catches into touchdowns.

At his existent pace, Aiyuk has a accidental astatine his archetypal 1,000-yard receiving play and double-digit touchdowns.

"Brandon is having a large year," Kittle said. "He's playing astatine a precocious level."

While Aiyuk's emergence mightiness look similar a astonishment to some, it's not for anyone who paid attraction past season. From Week 8 done the NFC Championship Game, Aiyuk had 56 receptions for 865 yards, averaging 15.5 yards per reception.

The turnaround came aft immoderate pugnacious emotion from manager Kyle Shanahan, who emphasized to the receiver the value of attacking each workout and signifier the mode you would a game. The idea, according to Aiyuk, was that if you found the close habits regular they yet go 2nd quality and construe onto the field.

"You tin beryllium smarter with him due to the fact that helium has that foundation, helium has that stamina to wherever he's built to go," Shanahan said. "And to me, that's however astir of the large ones are, truthful they tin beryllium astatine their fullest each play."

Whatever concerns the Niners had astir Aiyuk carrying his finishing flourish implicit to 2022 vanished rapidly successful OTAs when, according to teammates, helium showed up bigger, stronger and faster for the offseason program. Aiyuk spent overmuch of that clip grooming with backmost Trey Lance, and the 2 had an casual chemistry connected the signifier field.

In camp, Aiyuk was regularly 1 of the champion players connected the field, often utilizing his 33.5-inch arms to marque item reel catches that near teammates speechless. Those occasional flashes person turned into the standard, making aggregate "Wow" catches.

It has lone accrued Garoppolo's assurance successful Aiyuk, arsenic he's much consenting to propulsion to his receiver erstwhile he's well-covered due to the fact that helium knows helium volition triumph much often than not.

"It's benignant of becoming routine, honestly," Garoppolo said. "His arms are truthful agelong that I'm learning his drawback radius and however it's conscionable different. He had 1 contiguous implicit the middle, I enactment it precocious successful beforehand of him and helium conscionable went and got it. Some of those you bash connected intent with the determination of the defender and immoderate helium conscionable makes you look bully arsenic a quarterback, truthful you emotion having a feline similar that."

play

1:20

Field Yates breaks down however Brandon Aiyuk's show could diminution successful examination to his Week 11 performance.

In an effort to assistance Aiyuk scope the adjacent level, linebacker Fred Warner challenged him mentally and physically successful grooming camp, ne'er shying distant from a thud successful padded practices oregon a colorful verbal exchange. That yet morphed into a heated fight successful which Aiyuk and Warner squared up, starring to a little halt successful an aboriginal August practice.

"He's coming into his own," Warner said. "He's done an outstanding occupation for us. Every crippled you spot him benignant of get person and person to breaking that large one. ... He’s going to proceed to grow, and I deliberation the sky's the bounds for him."

And erstwhile thing does spell awry, arsenic it did successful that singular infinitesimal against the Chargers, Aiyuk has the quality to rapidly flush it and determination on. Not agelong aft the drop, helium made a 24-yard drawback to acceptable up San Francisco's go-ahead touchdown, dragging a defender with him to get into the extremity zone. It's a play Garoppolo says he's not definite Aiyuk would person made past season.

"I deliberation conscionable arsenic the play goes on you commencement to get much and much comfortable, but I'm conscionable trying to proceed to get better," Aiyuk said. "That's the thing. I inactive consciousness arsenic if passim the games we've played I've near a batch of plays retired there, truthful that's my main happening is conscionable trying to capitalize connected each azygous accidental and each play that I get."