Is Brandon Aiyuk Having a Better Rookie Season Than Deebo Samuel Had?
Brandon Aiyuk is making Kyle Shanahan look like a genius for trading up for him.
Initially when the 49ers gave up draft capital to select him, I thought it was nuts considering there was still ample wide receiver talent to pick from. But Aiyuk has easily been one of the best rookie wide receivers in the league.
All of that hype about the "big three" entering the draft between CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, and Henry Ruggs III - none of them are top-3 receivers this season.
The success of Aiyuk makes it two consecutive years that the 49ers have hit homeruns drafting a wide receiver. Deebo Samuel had a stellar rookie season in 2019 just like Aiyuk is having.
However, Aiyuk has a chance to surpass Jerry Rice's rookie receiving yards record if he can tally up 194 yards in the final two games of the season. Samuel was not as close as Aiyuk is right now.
It begs the question to ask: is Aiyuk having a better rookie season than Samuel?
He definitely is.
In fact, I would even say that Aiyuk looks the better pure talent as a wide receiver. Samuel is dangerous because he is an interchangeable player. Defenses cannot take their eyes off of him for one second or he will kill them on a slant or a jet sweep. But Aiyuk has just been dominant. He makes contested catches, lays out to dive for passes, and is a menace with the ball in his hands.
If you're comparing stats, Aiyuk is already looking better than Samuel. Through 11 games played, Aiyuk has 59 receptions for 733 yards and five touchdowns. Samuel played in 15 games his rookie season and totaled 57 receptions for 802 yards and three touchdowns. Both of these players have similar stats, but the biggest indicator that Aiyuk is better is the amount of games played.
Aiyuk is putting up monstrous numbers despite missing a handful of games. Samuel only missed one game last season and actually had a capable starting quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo throwing him the ball. Not to mention he had George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders to take the pressure/attention off of him to allow him to come into his own. Aiyuk has been dominating with a backup quarterback and as the clear-cut No. 1 receiving option for the 49ers, so defenses know he is going to see a ton of targets.
The 49ers were wise to trade up for Aiyuk and in a way, he should be the better wide receiver since he was a first-round selection.
Regardless, the 49ers are ecstatic to have one of the most impressive receiving groups with Kittle, Samuel, and Aiyuk as a strong trio. This is why Jimmy Garoppolo's future has been in question all season long. His availability and lack of improvement is wasting the 49ers' offensive talents, especially since they have two superb receivers on rookie deals.
The 49ers will still be a force to be reckoned with in 2021. Aiyuk, Samuel, Kittle, and Raheem Mostert were all barely on the field together this season. So long as they have someone to get the ball to them consistently, the 49ers will be back in business.
