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As wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk enters his third season, the jury is still out on whether he will become what the 49ers hoped he would be when they traded up in the first round of the 2020 draft to get him.
There is reason for optimism that he is ready to make a leap. Coach Kyle Shanahan explained to reporters Saturday the things Aiyuk has been doing to improve.
“He’s developing all the things he needed to get better,” Shanahan said. “He comes off the ball every play, he runs full speed every play, he doesn’t play slow anymore. He’s not sitting there and fighting guys with his hands. He’s doing it with his feet, with his hips, creating edges by running, breaking. If you want to break open in this league, you have to be so violent about how you run and putting your knees to the ground and everything. And this is very difficult for boys. They do it like three days in a row, and sometimes they have to take a week off. That’s why it’s so crucial how these guys prepare. And it’s hard when we’re not around him, but BA, he did everything when he was away from us, he did everything in OTAs and his body can handle everything he’s doing and that’s why he’s getting better right now “.
As a rookie, Aiyuk had 60 catches for 748 yards and five touchdowns. Last year, he caught 56 passes for 826 yards and five scores.
The Packers were hoping to get either Justin Jefferson or Aiyuk before the 49ers traded up to get him. That move greased the skates for the move to stick quarterback Jordan Love.