San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk Showing Signs He Can Fill Deebo Samuel Void

The status of Deebo Samuel, one of the stars of the San Francisco 49ers’ surge to Super Bowl LIV last season, remains up in the air as the 2020 NFL season approaches, but early signs from training camp suggest one of their 2020 first-round picks is ready to fill the potential void.

Samuel, San Francisco’s second-round pick last year, suffered a Jones fracture in his foot in June that required surgery. He was given a recovery timeline of 12-16 weeks but has repeatedly expressed confidence in his ability to be ready to for the Week 1 meeting with the Arizona Cardinals.

However, head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Saturday that he is “not counting” on having Samuel available for Week 1.

Samuel’s absence would be a significant blow to the 49ers, as his rookie season saw him established as one of the most valuable players in the Shanahan attack. The former South Carolina star finished with 802 yards on 57 catches last year. According to the NFL’s NextGen Stats, Samuel averaged 8.5 yards after catch per reception. Only A.J. Brown of the Tennessee Titans (8.8) was superior in that regard.

He also demonstrated significant value as a runner out of the backfield on sweeps, reverses and designed hand-offs, his 53 rushing yards in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in February the most by a wide receiver in Super Bowl history.

That kind of production is difficult to replace but rookie Brandon Aiyuk, whom the 49ers selected after trading up from 31 to 25 in the first round of this year’s draft, is already making plays in training camp that suggest he can pick up the slack.

Shanahan said he believes Aiyuk is “further ahead I think than a lot of rookies would be at this time.” The former Arizona State receiver went some way to vindicating his coach’s words in Sunday’s practice, in which he played a starring role.

Aiyuk, per Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area, was responsible for the highlight of the 11-on-11 sessions when he caught a long 30-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo after escaping the coverage of Jason Verrett. He caught multiple passes from Garoppolo and C.J. Beathard, indicating that the absence of OTAs and minicamp has not affected his ability to make the transition to the NFL.

Of course, there is a substantial difference between practice and regular-season NFL games and Aiyuk may find the learning curve steeper when he hits the field for real.

Aiyuk is not a direct replacement for Samuel, as he logged just one carry in his two years at Arizona State. However, he can play as a boundary receiver and in the slot – where Samuel spent most of his time as a rookie – and his speed and ability after the catch enable him to make a difference from both positions, as his 18.3 yards per reception average in 2019 reflected.

The elusiveness he has displayed in the open field and on punt returns indicates that Aiyuk could excel as a runner out of the backfield. He ranked fifth in both kick return average and punt return average in 2019.

San Francisco’s hope is obviously that Samuel will be ready for Week 1 and that Aiyuk will serve as a complement to him rather than attempt to replace his production. However, after his strong start to camp, the Niners have to be encouraged that Aiyuk can help ensure the offense does not take a major step back if Samuel is sidelined.