Deebo Samuel welcomed rookie Brandon Aiyuk into the team's "YAC Bros" club. The San Francisco 49ers receivers take pride in their ability to rack up yards after the catch. It's a skill that head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch seek in their offensive weapons.
Maybe the "YAC Bros" is a bit more exclusive of a club than you might think. Apparently, All-Pro tight end George Kittle hasn't received his invite yet despite leading the team this season in total yards after the catch. Two seasons ago, he led the league in that category.
"Am I a part of the YAC Bros? I didn't get a formal invitation or a t-shirt of anything," Kittle jokingly told reporters on Thursday. "I don't even have the Deebo shirt, so I'm a little salty about that. It's alright, though. I'll see if I can make the club after this week."
Despite missing two of the 49ers' four games this season, Kittle leads the team with 227 receiving yards and a touchdown on 19 catches. Eighty-six of those yards came after the catch. Only Raheem Mostert has more with 90 yards after the catch.
"YAC is a mindset," Kittle continued. "It's something that coach (Kyle) Shanahan and our coaching staff has been preaching ever since I was a rookie, is catch the ball, drop step, get vertical. There's no point in dancing because everyone in the NFL is really fast, and everyone is coming to knock the ball out. So get vertical as quickly as you can, and you'll be surprised at the angles that some people take to tackle you.
"... Our receivers also run with a head of steam. You love to see that. Watching the film with Deebo all of last year, Aiyuk's doing that, [Kendrick Bourne's] got one of the best drop steps that I've seen. We have a team full of guys who can drop step and get vertical, and when you get a lot of YAC, it's a lot more yards and a lot more first downs, and it leads to wins."