ASU receiver Brandon Aiyuk picked by 49ers in 1st round of NFL Draft
Apr 23, 2020, 8:24 PM | Updated: Apr 24, 2020, 8:49 am
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk #2 of the Arizona State Sun Devils catches a 52 yard reception ahead of defensive back Allen Perryman #30 of the Sacramento State Hornets during the second half of the NCAAF game at Sun Devil Stadium on September 06, 2019 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers selected Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk with the 25th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday.
As a member of the one of the deepest draft classes of receivers in recent times, Aiyuk was the sixth wideout off the board. He joins a team that lost wideout Emmanuel Sanders in free agency this offseason after going to the Super Bowl. Deebo Samuel, Kendrick Bourne and Trent Taylor are among the other wide receivers on San Francisco’s roster.
Aiyuk was the 49ers’ second pick in the first round, as San Francisco took South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw 14th overall. The Niners also held the 31st pick, but traded with Minnesota up to 25 to get Aiyuk.
The 22-year-old Aiyuk played two years at ASU after transferring from Sierra College in California prior to the 2018 season.
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Behind 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry, Aiyuk made 33 catches for 474 yards and three touchdowns as a junior. He stepped into the role vacated by Harry and made 65 catches for 1,192 yards and eight scores this past season for the Sun Devils.
Aiyuk underwent core muscle surgery in the first month of April to address an issue that cropped up during the Senior Bowl. The receiver did not play in that event but did get measured and went through interviews.
He came in at 5-foot-11 and 3/4 inches, 201 pounds and with an impressive wingspan of 6-foot-9. Aiyuk’s hands measured in at 10 inches, at the high end for his position and in range for linemen, bigger quarterbacks and tight ends. Aiyuk was listed at 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds by ASU this year.
Healthy enough to perform more than a month after the Senior Bowl, Aiyuk ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash with a 40-inch vertical and 128-inch broadjump at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
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Aiyuk decided to undergo surgery in April because of OTAs potentially getting postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus, NFL Netowrk’s Mike Garafolo reported.
Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on ESPN that Aiyuk had been working out pre-draft with former Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
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