Brandon Aiyuk has hauled in 17 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns through three games this season. If he keeps up this pace, he's on track for an impressive 1,706 receiving yards. Of course, he would need to maintain his production to achieve those gaudy numbers.
Even more impressive is that, according to Pro Football Focus, Aiyuk hasn't let a single pass slip through his fingers this season. Of the analytics site's eight highest-graded receivers, only the stat lines of Aiyuk and Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings have yet to be marred by a dropped pass.
Aiyuk is establishing himself as one of the NFL's best receivers, which will undoubtedly help him at the negotiating table next offseason when he seeks a contract extension.
Aiyuk invested significant effort in refining his route running during the offseason, and the results are evident on the field. He's proven to be a reliable target for second-year quarterback Brock Purdy.
"He's been great," head coach Kyle Shanahan said in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area this week. "He's always been good at separating. What's been the coolest is the balls he's coming down with when he is covered—not covered, but don't tell a receiver they're ever covered.
"But the back shoulder that Brock threw him on that third down at the end of the game where he went low to catch it, that was unbelievable. The one we threw in a double coverage, that he jumped and got it.
"And then he had a couple other opportunities versus man, and he got easy separation and made the throws really easy for Brock."
Aiyuk, 25, has caught 211 passes for 2,909 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 117 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 13 carries in 49 game appearances (47 starts) through his four NFL seasons. He's on track for his second consecutive season surpassing the 1,000-receiving-yard mark.
