Last month, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated listed 10 NFL players who could earn their first Pro Bowl selection in 2021. Second-year San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was among the names.
It looks like NFL Media's Marc Sessler agrees that Aiyuk is the most likely candidate from the Niners. The Around the NFL writer picked one player from each NFC team as a potential first-time Pro Bowl selection, with Aiyuk being San Francisco's representative.
"With George Kittle and Deebo Samuel missing a combined 17 games due to injury, Aiyuk finished his workmanlike rookie campaign with 748 receiving yards off 60 grabs," wrote Sessler. "The first-rounder also showed versatility on the ground, something Kyle Shanahan values in his wideouts."
Aiyuk had five touchdown receptions and added two more on the ground to go along with his 77 rushing yards.
"Aiyuk is enjoyable to watch," Sessler continued, "but making a Pro Bowl boils down to his target share inside a healthy, run-first offense. How the Niners handle Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance matters, too, but Aiyuk has proven he's ready for a big-boy role."
Garoppolo is slated to be the Week 1 starter. However, expectations are high for the rookie, Lance, who will use his time as Garoppolo's backup to master Shanahan's playbook. Some believe Lance's time in the spotlight might come sooner rather than later.
As was the cause for Deebo Samuel in his second year, expectations are high for Aiyuk in 2021. Unfortunately, Samuel's sophomore NFL campaign was derailed by injuries, as was the case for much of the roster.
Aiyuk is looking to build on his rookie season that ranked third all-time in franchise history in receptions yards by a rookie, second all-time in receptions by a rookie, and tied for second all-time in touchdowns by a rookie.
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