Arizona State Football: Does Brandon Aiyuk have No. 1 WR potential with 49ers?

Does former Arizona State football star Brandon Aiyuk have what it takes to become the 49ers’ No. 1 wide receiver target?

There’s no doubt about it, the 2020 NFL Draft is absolutely loaded with wide receiver talent and that was never more evident than in the first round when six came off the board, capped off with Arizona State wide out Brandon Aiyuk at No. 25 to the 49ers.

Emmanuel Sanders brought a boost to the 49ers’ offense last season, catching 36 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games but he’s since departed for the Saints.

That left San Francisco with just one clear starting wide out in Deebo Samuel to go along with arguably the most productive tight end in the league in George Kittle. But for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, that’s not enough and that’s why the 49ers dipped into the first round for not only a replacement for DeForest Buckner (Javon Kinlaw) but one for Sanders as well.

One main question remains after the pick of Aiyuk at No. 25 overall: does he have true No. 1 receiver potential?

Despite not being the biggest receiver at 6-foot-0 and 205 pounds, he does have the potential to be the go-to target for Jimmy Garoppolo. All you have to do is look at his improvement from 2018 to 2019 when he knew he had to step up and replace a departing N’Keal Harry as the No. 1 target. He went from a solid No. 2 or No. 3 receiver to a bonafide No. 1 in just one season.

Can that translate to the NFL? Absolutely. While he’s not going to be that jump-ball receiver, he can be a Golden Tate-like wide out who can make things happen after the catch. Aiyuk is an absolute YAC-master and he’ll become a fan favorite in no time.

There might not be a more intriguing destination for a young receiver in the NFL with the potential to rise up the depth chart as a rookie and Aiyuk has what it takes to be a star early on.