Aiyuk comes into camp with more muscle and less body fat
SANTA CLARA >> Brandon Aiyuk was shut out Friday, held without a catch on one target in the 49ers’ full-team drills at training camp.
Don’t expect that to play out in games this season.
Aiyuk opened camp as Mr. Popular, for good reason. He’s returned after an impressive rookie season in even more impressive shape, with a determined mentality that enhances his stature as a bonafide No. 1 wide receiver.
Take veteran cohort Mohamed Sanu’s word for it.
“He’s a special talent. Brandon can do any and everything on the field,” Sanu said after Friday’s practice. “He can move really well, catch the ball really well, gets in and out of his breaks extremely well.
“So, watching him get better every day is pretty cool. I’m excited to see what he does this year.”
While Sanu is showing a renaissance this camp and Deebo Samuel is again serving as a versatile catalyst, Aiyuk is benefiting from an offseason in which he added four pounds of muscle, dropped body fat and built endurance for “the long season.”
Those three wide receivers have established themselves as the 49ers’ best, with Sanu leading the race to replace No. 3 Kendrick Bourne, who’s now in New England. Jalen Hurd (knee recovery) and Jauan Jennings (COVID reserve) should factor into the mix, eventually.
But watching Aiyuk open camp so well is extremely encouraging and offsets any concerns at wide receiver. He caught four passes from both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance over the first two practices, .
Garoppolo spoke this week about how “the trust factor with me and
B, it’s been awesome,” noting that Aiyuk’s body language makes throws easier to anticipate.
Aiyuk said he found himself “on the same page” with Garoppolo last season, that they had the “same feel for certain situations,” and that they’re seeing that resurface this camp.
Aiyuk also has quickly bonded with Lance, including a May throwing session in Southern California, before the 49ers’ organized team activities. Aiyuk’s first impression of the rookie was positive: “Just his presence for however old he was (then 20, now 21). He was just a big dude, a strong dude and, with the speed trainers, a fast dude, too.”
Aiyuk led the 49ers with 60 catches for 748 yards and five touchdowns, plus two touchdowns on six carries, despite missing four games (hamstring, ankle, COVID). When it comes to maximizing Aiyuk’s talents, he would “love” to return punts, and he’ll continue to try perfecting that craft and await the coaches’ call on it. He returned just two punts last season, in December.
Aiyuk said cornerback Jason Verrett told him he can be one of the NFL’s best receivers. He’s on his way. Meanwhile, he is among the handful of players who are partway through the COVID vaccination process; coach Kyle Shanahan said five players are not vaccinated. REST DAYS FOR BOSA, HURD >> Hurd and defensive end Nick Bosa had prescribed rest days, after backto-back practices of participating in only positional drills and no full-team sessions. Shanahan said Bosa likely will take part in some team drills this camp, something he barely did before his 2019 rookie year because of a high ankle sprain.
‘LINEBACKER’ MARCELL HARRIS >> Marcell Harris, the 49ers’ understudy to strong safety Jaquiski Tartt in recent seasons, is showing well in his possible conversion to linebacker. He blitzed a couple times Friday and broke up a Lance pass intended for River Cracraft.
“We think it could possible be a better position for him but we’re trying to find that out,” Shanahan said, noting Harris’ extra value on special teams.
Added linebacker Dre Greenlaw, whose locker is next to Harris’: “Having him in our room is going to be a great add. He’s someone who can cover and has a (defensive back’s) mindset.”
EBUKAM’S FIRST IMPRESSIONS >> Defensive end Samson Ebukam is “exactly what we hoped for,” Shanahan said. After four years with the Los Angeles Rams, Ebukam is poised for a larger pass-rushing role with the 49ers, though that could hinge on the availabilities of Bosa and Dee Ford, the latter of whom remains out of full-team drills but did line up opposite Ebukam in a morning walk-through.
Ebukam has flashed his speed and tenacity in camp, although left tackle Trent Williams is proving a challenge, as expected. Williams easily pushed Ebukam to the ground on one snap Friday. SANU’S COLD CALL >> Sanu reached out to Shanahan this offseason to bid for a return, saying he was much healthier than last season’s three-game cameo, in which he had no catches on 40 snaps while still recovering from March 2020 ankle surgery.
“When a guy you know and respect calls you, and you trust him, you give him an opportunity. He came in and is everything he said,” Shanahan said. Sanu had five receptions Friday, catching passes from Garoppolo, Lance and Josh Rosen.