This offseason has been a strange one for NFL players due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been a strange last few months for all of us. The league's latest crop of rookies has been at even more of a disadvantage than experienced players. Sure, they have the time to study their new playbooks more than they would have during a typical offseason. Still, the inability to get onto a practice field has prevented them from putting their newfound knowledge into action.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is among those who have been studying hard this offseason. Making things even more challenging is the fact that head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense is considered to be one of the more complex in the league, often requiring multiple offseasons to master.
"I think it's a good thing," Aiyuk told Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. "It forces you to fully break everything down, totally understand it, before going on the field. There is some good and bad. But you have to make the best of the situation we were dealt. Just continue to work through it."
Aiyuk was part of a group of 49ers players who joined their quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, this week at San Jose State for a player-organized throwing session. It had to be player-organized because the NFL is still prohibiting players from entering team facilities as the league continues to enforce social distancing.
It was Aiyuk's first opportunity to haul in passes from his new quarterback.
"It was like, 'I'm on the field right now catching passes from Jimmy G," Aiyuk told Branch. "That's when it kind of hit me."
Aiyuk isn't just excited to catch passes from Garoppolo. He is excited to join an energetic receiver group that looks like it knows how to have fun while putting in the work to be successful.
"I remember watching the 49ers last year and just thinking how much fun they had as a group," Aiyuk said. "And then when I got to meet some of the guys it's kind of been the same thing. Just good people. I've talked to [Kendrick Bourne] and Deebo (Samuel) the most out of the receiver group. They've brought me into the family."
Click here to read Branch's entire feature over at the San Francisco Chronicle.