Brandon Aiyuk's surprising area of prowess underlines his importance to 49ers and Brock Purdy
There has already been plenty written about Brandon Aiyuk’s value to the San Francisco 49ers and, specifically, to quarterback Brock Purdy as the wide receiver’s contract saga has rumbled on. It’s no secret that Aiyuk has blossomed into Purdy’s favorite target since the final pick in the 2022 draft began his remarkable journey to becoming […]
There has already been plenty written about Brandon Aiyuk’s value to the San Francisco 49ers and, specifically, to quarterback Brock Purdy as the wide receiver’s contract saga has rumbled on.
It’s no secret that Aiyuk has blossomed into Purdy’s favorite target since the final pick in the 2022 draft began his remarkable journey to becoming the franchise quarterback for the reigning NFC champions.
But this week Pro Football Focus provided greater insight into where Aiyuk is most important for Purdy and the Niners.
PFF published data revealing which receivers in the NFL performed best at specific routes, with Aiyuk posting the highest grade in the league on out routes and post routes.
His 213 yards on post routes trailed only Tyreek Hill, illustrating an area where Aiyuk provides tremendous value to the 49ers that has perhaps flown under the radar.
Aiyuk is widely regarded for his outstanding route-running abilities but the term ‘deep threat’ is not one many would immediately attach to him.
But a dive into the numbers points to Aiyuk being tremendously important to Purdy’s success throwing downfield.
In the 2023 regular season, Purdy led the league in completion percentage (63.8), adjusted completion percentage (68.1), yards per attempt (20.3) and touchdowns (11) on throws of 20 yards or more.
He had a perfect PFF grade of 99.9 on deep passes, the only player in the NFL to achieve that feat, while he was eighth in big-time throw rate (32.1%) pushing the ball downfield and had a passer rating of 138.1 on those attempts that was second only to C.J. Stroud.
Twenty-one of Purdy’s 47 deep targets went to Aiyuk, with 14 caught and five going for touchdowns. Aiyuk had a perfect receiving grade of 99.9 on those targets, an achievement no other receiver with at least 20 could match. He led all receivers with a minimum of 20 downfield targets in passer rating when targeted (149.3) and was fourth in yards per route run (20.81).
San Francisco has more avenues to explosive plays than arguably any other team in the NFL between what its pass-catchers can do with ball in hand, its dynamic running game led by the top back in the league in Christian McCaffrey and its head coach’s prowess for using the versatility of his deep group of playmakers to scheme receivers into open space.
But Aiyuk’s ability to win downfield has helped Purdy add another dimension to the 49er offense with his willingness to attack deep with far greater regularity than his predecessor at the position.
The 49ers invested heavily in the receiver position in the draft, adding Ricky Pearsall and a speedy deep threat in Jacob Cowing. Despite extremely positive reports about Pearsall’s progress during the offseason workout program and the potential for Cowing to get over the top of defenses, the player the 49ers know they can most rely on for shot plays is Aiyuk. His underrated performance as a downfield receiver is just another reason why they need to ensure Aiyuk is signed to a long-term extension this year.
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