Arizona State product Brandon Aiyuk making a name with NFL's 49ers

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Former Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was at home with his family waiting to hear his name called in the 2020 NFL draft. For a lot of young prospects, the anticipation is in what organization is going to call your name. For Aiyuk, it wasn't much of a surprise. He knew who was targeting him.

So, when the San Francisco 49ers called his name with the 25th selection in the first round it was less dramatic, although that didn't dim the excitement of the moment.

"I already knew," Aiyuk laughed, when asked about that moment.

Aiyuk, 24, had a pretty good advocate on his side in ASU then-head football coach in Herm Edwards, whose close friend John Lynch happens to be general manager of the 49ers. And yes, Edwards had talked to Lynch about Aiyuk's potential.

The 49ers had two first round picks and moved up to get Aiyuk.

Edwards had told Lynch that Aiyuk was a difference-maker.

"You're always going to go to people you trust and (Lynch) trusted me," Edwards said. "He told me they were thinking about moving up or just staying put and taking him and I told him, 'You stay put and he might not be there.' "

Now in his third season, Aiyuk, an All-Pac 12 first-team selection as a receiver and kick return in his final season in Tempe, is the 49ers' leading pass catcher with 44 receptions for 567 yards and four touchdowns. His best performance of the season came in a 22-16 win over the Chargers when he snagged six passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

In the last four games, Aiyuk has been targeted 35 times and he has registered 27 catches for 330 yards and three touchdowns. If he keeps up that pace he will finish with 115 receptions and 1,402 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also has the No. 10 overall receiving grade on Pro Football Focus, tied for 14th in yards per route run, and tied for 13th in yards after the catch.

Even for the top players, there can be a learning curve in the NFL. Aiyuk experienced the ups and downs of the profession in his second season and some thought he fell out of favor with head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The 6-foot, 200-pounder finished last season with a still-respectable 826 yards on 56 catches but there were issues early on.  He had just one catch for six yards over the first two games. Then in a 41-33 win over Detroit in the fourth game of the season, Aiyuk was even less of a factor. He played but wasn't targeted at all.

After the contest, Shanahan, who has been known for a tough-love approach particularly with his wide receivers, explained that although the former Sun Devil had practiced he had been slowed early in the season with a strained hamstring and at the same time implied that Trent Sherfield had outplayed Aiyuk and was deserving of more playing time.

There was also some speculation Aiyuk had a tough time getting on the same page with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo after spending his rookie season playing with Nick Mullens, with whom he seemed to have a more natural connection.

In the first seven weeks of the season Aiyuk averaged 2.7 targets per game, but that jumped to 6.2 during his final 11 outings.

Some of the team's veterans tried to keep his spirits up.

"It's not easy to play in this league," said fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who has the locker right next to Aiyuk. "There is a learning curve for all guys coming out of college and him being a first-round pick, there was obviously a lot of focus on him but he's come a long way.

"My biggest message to him was always that it's about consistency and that's what we're looking for. You could see flashes early on. We knew what kind of talent he has. It was a matter of doing it day in and day out, doing all the extra stuff. He's fully embraced that now and he has been up for the challenge."

Among the others Aiyuk had to lean on was former ASU teammate Eno Benjamin, who went through all the steps of the transition from college to the professional ranks along with him. Benjamin, drafted in the seventh round by the Arizona Cardinals, didn't have quite the expectations as Aiyuk. Benjamin also struggled to prove himself and, unlike Aiyuk, he spent much of his first two seasons "inactive" come game day.

Ironically, Benjamin's first career touchdown came last season in a game against the 49ers, which made that moment even more memorable. The two talk or text almost daily.

Aiyuk keeps up with other former teammates as well. When ASU played at Stanford, Aiyuk was on the sideline, lending support to the Sun Devils, most notably his cousin, running back Daniyel Ngata.

"That's my dog," said Benjamin, who was released by the Cardinals last week, but was claimed off waivers by the Texans. "We probably talk literally once a day depending on if I know he's in practice or not. Sometimes it may be pushed back to the next day, but I would say probably every two days for sure. We talk about whatever may be going on with Arizona State, what's going on over there (in San Francisco). I'm just chatting up a storm and so that's my brother. We went through this process together and we're gonna stay close for sure."

Shanahan said Aiyuk's potential is now manifesting itself on the field and is the result of maturity and what he did to prepare for his third season.

"He keeps getting better each year. I think it's documented in the work he put in the work during the offseason and it's carried over to the season," the coach said.

"Brandon has been phenomenal," added Juszczyk. "I truly believe he's one of the best receivers in this league, the way he runs his routes, the way he's able to get separation and just the way he's matured as a leader. He really is a guy we all look up to, a guy we can count on to do things right all the time. "

The worst seems to be behind Aiyuk now and he is living out his dream after growing up a 49 fan. He has family in the Bay Area as well as in Sacramento and in Reno, Nevada — all reasonably close trips. That means he usually has a good-sized rooting section on game days at Levi's Stadium.

He is appreciative of the opportunity and says it's even more rewarding because he traveled a tough road, having to go to Sierra Community College for two years before landing in Tempe where he went from an athlete with potential to a first-round draft pick under the tutelage of Edwards and former defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce, whom he credits.

"It's a dream come true just being around these guys, all the people here in the Bay Area. I feel like it's a family-oriented team, city, this whole area," he said. "I get to do what I love and I get to do it in front of the people that mean the most to me."

Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@gannett.com or 602 444-4783.  Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.

Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State product Brandon Aiyuk making a name with 49ers in NFL