Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk set precedent for 49ers' young wide receivers
How Deebo, Aiyuk can serve as examples for youngsters Gray, Bell originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SANTA CLARA -- Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are two 49ers receivers who figured it out.
Now, San Francisco's recent draft picks Danny Gray and Ronnie Bell are going through the same laborious process.
Samuel and Aiyuk both experienced difficulties behind the scenes early in their careers in coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Samuel broke into the NFL with an 800-yard season as a rookie in 2019. His difficulties -- and he certainly went through his share of ups and downs -- never were as public as Aiyuk’s issues.
Aiyuk finished his rookie season strong with 60 receptions for 748 yards in just 12 games. But the next season began with Aiyuk losing playing time to Trent Sherfield. Aiyuk caught just nine passes for 96 yards in his first six games of 2021 before turning it around.
Now, Samuel and Aiyuk each have 1,000-yard seasons on the stat sheet and serve as prime examples for youngsters Gray and Bell.
“It’s never easy for younger guys when making that transition to the next level,” 49ers wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson said on the latest "49ers Talk" episode. “Look at Aiyuk, right? Aiyuk got drafted in the first round; Danny got drafted third round.”
Gray played just 87 snaps of offense as a rookie during the 2022 NFL season. He caught only one pass for 10 yards.
However, the 49ers are not giving up on him working his way into position to make an impact.
“Danny has all the ability in the world,” Hankerson said. “Danny is a heck of a football player -- probably the fastest receiver we have. He has that tough mindset, that grit mindset, that we love.
“The main thing with him is he’s got to continue to grow. He has made tremendous strides so far within the year.”
Hankerson played four seasons as a wide receiver under Shanahan in Washington and Atlanta. He stresses the importance of consistency with each player’s approach to study time, practices and games.
“You got to do it every single day,” Hankerson said.
The first impressions of Bell have been favorable. The 49ers selected Bell in the seventh round of this year’s draft with the 253rd overall pick.
“Ronnie has been doing an outstanding job,” Hankerson said. “I think he is ahead of most rookies when they come in, especially in this offense, because this offense is not that easy to pick up, and he’s doing a heck of a job by playing all three positions.”
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Bell caught 145 passes for 2,269 yards and nine touchdowns in 41 games over five seasons at Michigan. He will compete for a roster spot and, potentially, playing time with Gray, Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud and others.
“You’re not going to go out there every day and have 30, 40 catches at practice, so we got to make sure when we go out there, we’re getting the most out of it,” Hankerson said of Bell. “He’s on the right track; just got to make sure we stay there.”
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