San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has registered 280 receiving yards and a touchdown on 20 receptions. He also has four rushing attempts for 69 yards and two scores. That type of versatility is reminiscent of a talented first-year player from last season — Deebo Samuel.
Aiyuk owes a lot to his teammate, Samuel. He, along with All-Pro tight end George Kittle, pushes the rookie to be a better player. They don't do it solely with words, though. They do it through action.
Aiyuk joined 95.7 The Game on Wednesday and explained how Kittle and Samuel encourage him to fight harder when he's on the football field.
"I think playing with those two guys, especially, and you watch them catch the ball and just go get every single yard and just finish every single run," Aiyuk told Damon Bruce, Ray Ratto, and Matt Kolsky, "you have no choice but to do the same then when you get the football in your hands. When you're watching film, you don't want to be the person that's called out because you didn't finish a run or you left a couple of yards out on the field.
"I think playing with those two guys makes everybody, when anybody touches the ball, it just makes you want to go get those extra yards and just finish every single run in every opportunity you get when you touch the football."
There have been a lot of comparisons between Aiyuk and Samuel. The two are capable of doing similar things within Kyle Shanahan's offense. The 49ers asked Aiyuk to take on a role similar to Samuel's when the second-year receiver missed the start of the season. Samuel will miss more time with a hamstring strain, which will likely mean more opportunities for Aiyuk.
Samuel has been helpful in his rookie teammate's transition from college to the pros.
"I've learned a lot from Deebo, just being here, just because he's one year removed from me and from his rookie season," Aiyuk explained. "So, there's a lot of things that he talks to me about that he had to deal with last year, just in hopes that maybe I won't have to deal with it. There's a lot of things that he just talks (about) in terms of scheme, certain players that we're going up against, or certain things that might happen throughout the season to just keep me on the right path."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Aiyuk below.