PFF Ranks 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk 19th Among NFL Wide Receivers

In 2023, Brandon Aiyuk was the second-highest-graded wide receiver in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. They considered him elite.

Then in 2024, he signed a massive extension worth an average of $30 million per season, and his performance instantly suffered. He was PFF's 52nd-highest-graded wide receiver, and he played only seven games because he tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus.

So who will Aiyuk be this year -- the elite wide receiver he was in 2023, or the slightly above average receiver we saw in 2024 before he got injured?

Pro Football Focus projects Aiyuk to be somewhere in between this year. That's why they rank him 19th among NFL wide receivers.

"Aiyuk was one of the NFL’s top receivers in 2023, finishing with a 92.3 receiving grade and an outstanding 18.0 yards per reception as one of the league’s premier deep threats," writes PFF's Trevor Sikkema. "However, his efficiency and production dipped in 2024, and he now enters the upcoming season fresh off ACL and MCL tears."

With all due respect to PFF, this is a lofty projection for Aiyuk.

He's not going to have OTAs, minicamp or training camp. He probably won't play in the first month or two of the season. So when he finally returns, he won't be nearly the best version of himself. If he ever makes a full recovery, he almost certainly won't do so until 2026.

In addition, 2023 was a bit of an outlier for him. That season, he averaged a whopping 17.9 yards per catch. Last season, he averaged 15.0 yards per catch, which was the second-highest of his career. He's not a burner -- he's an excellent route runner, or he was before he injured his knee.

Jauan Jenning should be on this list instead of Aiyuk.