One AFC college scouting director is a big fan of the San Francisco 49ers' selection of Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk at No. 25 overall on Thursday night.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote the following within his Friday column.
One more fit that's considered really, really strong: Arizona State WR Brandon Aiyuk going to the Niners. "He's a true route-runner, and he's the best RAC [run after catch] receiver in the draft," said one AFC college scouting director. "That's ridiculous that they got him, and they'll be able to line him up with Deebo [Samuel] and [George] Kittle. He's strong, he can make people miss and he's a real threat in the return game. I'd be very surprised if that's a miss." It's also worth mentioning how good Kyle Shanahan is at identifying and coaching receivers, as part of all this.
The 49ers lost veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the New Orleans Saints during free agency, and hope Aiyuk can help fill the void.
"Emmanuel, he's just great," Aiyuk told reporters on Thursday after the 49ers drafted him. "I saw a lot of people compare me to him. But just for him, it's just all aspects of the game.
"I just feel like he could do the same things I can do, which is catch the ball at all three levels or even just go behind the line of scrimmage with a screen pass and just break touches and make things happen.
"Then just also blocking in the run game. He's just effort all around. He's a complete receiver."
San Francisco doesn't currently own a selection during day two of the draft. Its next pick, as of right now, will be during the fifth round (No. 156 overall) on Saturday morning.
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