Is Brandon Aiyuk a Top 5 Wide Receiver in the NFL?

Aiyuk sees himself as a top-five wide receiver in the NFL who's worth more than $27 million per season.

The 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk reportedly are far apart in negotiations for a contract extension.

Aiyuk sees himself as a top-five wide receiver in the NFL who's worth more than $27 million per season. It's unclear if the 49ers see him that way, too. They obviously like him, but do they love him enough to pay him nearly $30 million per season and give more than 150 targets per season?

If they don't, another team should, because advanced statistics suggest Aiyuk actually is a top-three wide receiver in the NFL right now.

According to SIS Data Hub's advanced receiving metric, Aiyuk was the third-best wide receiver in the NFL last season behind CeeDee Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Which means they ranked Aiyuk ahead of Tyreek Hill, who earns $30 million per season.

When you look at the advanced statistics, it's easy to see why Aiyuk is ranked so high. Aiyuk caught 75 passes during the regular season, and 62 of them picked up first downs -- that's 82.7 percent, which led the NFL. In addition, quarterbacks had a passer rating of 124.7 when targeting him, which was third-highest in the league. His efficiency is off the charts. And that doesn't even factor in his blocking, which is elite for a wide receiver.

The only thing Aiyuk doesn't do is carry the ball on end arounds and jet sweeps, because that's Deebo Samuel's. Everything else Aiyuk does at an elite level. There might not be a more well-rounded wide receiver in the NFL.