Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is still considered one of the best in the game. His 12,896 receiving yards rank No. 20 all-time. One player from the San Francisco 49ers — rookie Brandon Aiyuk — reminds Baltimore Ravens wideout Dez Bryant of the NFL great.
Aiyuk has had an impressive rookie campaign. He hauled in five passes for 95 yards and a score during Monday night's 34-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Aiyuk has averaged 94 receiving yards over his last four games and has scored a touchdown in each of the last three.
Here is what Bryant posted on Instagram during the 49ers-Bills matchup, courtesy of our friends over at @TheSFNiners (h/t to Patrick Tulini). Wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who was briefly a teammate of Aiyuk's in San Francisco this season, seems to agree with the assessment. He should know, too. Sanu played with Jones for four seasons.
Dez Bryant calls WR Brandon Aiyuk 'Julio lil brotha' 🤣 #49ers pic.twitter.com/EzunT3yPur
— TheSFNiners (@TheSFNiners) December 8, 2020
Jones is a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, a two-time first-team All-Pro, and was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. Aiyuk obviously has a lot of work to do to live up to Bryant's praise but shows signs that he might be a rising NFL star.
Aiyuk is Pro Football Focus' third-highest graded rookie through Week 13.
"The 49ers may have ultimately lost to the Bills," wrote Anthony Treash, "and there was a drop from the rookie that ended up falling into the hands of Micah Hyde for the interception, but he still came away with 2.71 yards per route run, the second-best single-game mark of his career. Aiyuk also was responsible for the 49ers' biggest play of the night with a 49-yard grab on a vertical route against Levi Wallace, who struggled to contain the rookie on numerous occasions."
The 49ers selected Aiyuk out of Arizona State with the No. 25 overall draft pick. He has 40 receptions for 541 yards, four receiving touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns through nine games this season.