Report: ASU’s Brandon Aiyuk expected to be ready for start of NFL season

ASU wide receiver standout and NFL Draft first-round hopeful Brandon Aiyuk is reportedly expected to be ready for the season after having muscle surgery.

BY MATT LAYMAN

Apr 16, 2020, 11:43 AM

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Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk runs for a first down against Colorado during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

To say that a player will be ready for the start of the NFL season seems odd during these uncertain times, since the start of the season is a fluid idea right now.

Still, coronavirus pandemic aside, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Thursday that the core muscle surgery ASU wide receiver standout Brandon Aiyuk had recently was deemed successful and that he’ll be “ready in plenty of time for the season.” Same goes for fellow Pac-12 wideout Laviska Shenault and Cal safety Ashtyn Davis.

Aiyuk, who had a breakout year for the Sun Devils in 2019, is among the top wide receiver prospects after the first tier of Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy, Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III. ESPN’s Todd McShay mocked Aiyuk as high as 20th overall.

Whether or not teams see Aiyuk’s injury as a concern going into the draft remains to be seen, especially in a draft year in which teams have less of a chance to evaluate players in person as social distancing measures have completely altered the way teams and players have prepared for the draft.

But Aiyuk’s production last season is undeniable, as the 6-foot-1, 206-pound receiver made explosive plays and had 1,192 yards for eight touchdowns on 65 catches. He averaged 18.3 yards per catch and 99.3 yards per game.

In one game against Washington State on Oct. 12, Aiyuk had 196 receiving yards on seven catches for three touchdowns.

In that sense, the good could far outweigh the bad.