In case you missed it this past week, San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was among several players who have taken part in player-organized throwing sessions at San Jose State with Jimmy Garoppolo.
That's good news considering the receiver underwent core-muscle surgery in April before the draft. Aiyuk is fully recovered, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
Aiyuk is in the process of moving from Reno, Nevada to the Bay Area, so he isn't able to participate during every session. He did, however, sound excited about finally catching passes from Garoppolo en route to his first NFL season.
"It was like, 'I'm on the field right now catching passes from Jimmy G," Aiyuk told Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. "That's when it kind of hit me."
His offseason has mostly involved a whole lot of studying as he works to get a grasp of his playbook and pick up head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. He, like his teammates, hasn't been able to get onto the practice field in an official capacity and relies on these player-organized activities to build chemistry with his new quarterback and fellow receivers.
The 49ers' facilities remain closed to both coaches and most players due to local restrictions in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aiyuk doesn't see the extra study time as a negative, though.
"I think it's a good thing," Aiyuk said. "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."
Garoppolo has been impressed by Aiyuk, too.
"You can tell when you're calling a play, and you look into a guy's eye, and know if he's taking it in or if it's like, 'What the hell is this guy saying?'" the quarterback said. "And he was engaged; he was locked in. And he was a fun guy to be around, too."
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