The San Francisco 49ers have very high hopes for the upcoming 2023 season, and they have a roster that is chock-full of studs, many of whom are rather young.
One of those studs is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who has gradually improved over his three seasons in the NFL.
Aiyuk has been assuming more and more of San Francisco’s offensive load over time, and fellow wideout Deebo Samuel had some high praise for him, per PFF.
Good luck covering Brandon Aiyuk right now 👀 pic.twitter.com/ebtJGL94ge
— PFF (@PFF) June 6, 2023
The 49ers took Aiyuk with the No. 25 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft shortly after they blew a late lead and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
They needed some firepower in their passing game at the time, and Aiyuk has started to do his part to help in that regard.
He put up 748 yards in 12 games as a rookie and 826 yards in 2021, and last season he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark.
If the Niners need someone to step up at the wide receiver position, it’s actually Samuel, who had a down year in 2022.
After posting 1,405 receiving yards and gaining Pro Bowl and All-Pro first-team nods in 2021, he went down to just 632 receiving yards last season.
Samuel recently received a lucrative contract extension that will keep him in the Bay for at least the next two seasons, and it’s time for him to prove that he’s worthy of the big money in that deal.
If he does so, the Niners could end up cradling the Vince Lombardi Trophy and their first since the 1994 season this winter.
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