Pro Football Focus names a 49er who is among the top players who have the most to prove in 2025

Things did not go the 49ers' way in 2024.

The team was ravaged by injuries, causing them to stumble to a 6-11 record and a last place finish in the NFC West. San Francisco will aim to bounce back in 2025, as will the many players who were hurt last season.

Among them will be wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Aiyuk isn't expected to be ready to participate in training camp, or even the beginning of the regular season. However, general manager John Lynch remains encouraged about his recovery.

""Brandon's doing a tremendous job coming back," Lynch said while on the Pat McAfee on Thursday. "These guys that are incredibly skilled athletes, they tend to heal a lot faster. It's kind of incredible how well he's healing, and he's putting in the work. We're proud of Brandon, and we're looking forward to him being part of this team moving forward."

Aiyuk was off to a slow start prior to getting injured in 2024, recording 25 receptions for 374 yards and zero touchdowns. He had a breakout year in 2023, catching 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven TDs. While naming their top 10 players who have the most to prove in 2025, Pro Football Focus ranked Aiyuk at No. 5.

From PFF: "Aiyuk enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, boasting a second-ranked 91.5 PFF overall grade among all wide receivers. However, he has yet to prove it was not a fluke season. It has been established that Aiyuk is a true No. 1 wide receiver after he ranked among the top 30 players at his position in PFF overall grade in each of his first three seasons. Nevertheless, he took things to another level in 2023. This past season was a different story. His early-year play was uninspiring, and his season was cut short after just seven weeks. He earned a 74.6 PFF overall grade, which ranked 33rd among 133 qualifying wide receivers. The 49ers have an aging roster and their Super Bowl window appears to be slowly closing, so the team needs Aiyuk to show that he can get back to that level once again in 2025."

It's very possible that Aiyuk would have eventually found his groove after the slow start had he not been injured. Considering that he will likely miss a chunk of the 2025 season and is coming off such a major injury, this might not be the bounce back year that PFF is looking for out of him.

The 2026 season is probably more realistic for Aiyuk to get fully back to his old form. However, when he does return in 2025, he'll obviously give the S.F. offense a boost. If the 49ers can put their injury woes behind them, it's reasonable to believe that they can reclaim the wide-open NFC West once again.