49ers teammate expects Brandon Aiyuk to have a big season

Fullback Kyle Juszczyk recently joined the "Haberman and Middlekauff" podcast to discuss all things San Francisco 49ers-related. After offering some well-deserved praise toward Christian McCaffrey and the impact the running back has made since joining the Niners, Juszczyk moved on to another offensive teammate.

Juszczyk was an early believer in Brandon Aiyuk. The wide receiver had ups and downs through his first two NFL seasons but broke out in 2022, recording his first 1,000-yard campaign.

The 25-year-old may only have scratched the surface of his potential.

"I'm about to take off," Aiyuk declared in May. "... We all know it's football. Nothing's ever guaranteed, but just getting a better understanding for my life as a person, and then as a football player, kind of putting those things together and then just looking to get better."

Juszczyk is a believer and can't wait to see what 2023 holds for his teammate.

"There are people that, when you're at practice, they just stand out," Juszczyk said of Aiyuk. "And he's 100 percent been that guy for a little bit now, but especially in OTAs."

The fullback would put Aiyuk's practice efforts in the same category as McCaffrey, a player that never takes a rep off.

"When he is out there, he is an ass-kicker," Juszczyk said. "Like, he wants all the smoke, he's going to talk all the trash to the defensive backs, and he's going to back it up. And he just looked like he was moving at a different speed than everyone else on the field. So I think he's in store for an even bigger season this year."

San Francisco made Aiyuk the No. 25 pick in 2020. The wideout is entering his fourth NFL season. He has registered 2,589 receiving yards, 18 receiving touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns in three seasons.