As receiver Brandon Aiyuk enters his third season, the jury remains out on whether he’ll turn out to be what the 49ers hoped for when they traded up a 2020 first-rounder to acquire him. There is reason for optimism that he is ready to make a leap. Coach Kyle Shanahan explained to reporters Saturday the things Aiyuk has done to improve. “He’s evolving into all the things he needed to do to get better,” Shanahan said. “He’s off the ball every play, he’s running full speed every play, he’s not playing things slow anymore. He doesn’t sit there and fight guys with his hands. He does it with his feet, with his hips, creating edges by running, breaking. If you want to be open in this league, you have to be so violent in how you run and put your knees on the ground and everything. And this is very difficult for children. They do it like three days in a row, and sometimes they have to take a week off. That is why it is so important how these children are prepared. And it’s hard when we’re not around him, but BA, he did it all when he was away from us, he did it all in OTA and his body can handle what he’s doing and that’s why he’s doing better right now. “ As a rookie, Aiyuk had 60 catches for 748 yards and five touchdowns. Last year, he caught 56 passes for 826 yards and five scores. The Packers were hoping to get Justin Jefferson or Aiyuk before the 49ers traded up to get him. That move greased the skids for the move to block quarterback Jordan Love.
