Richard Bradshaw: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State
I’ve been high on Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk for quite some time. Blame it on me being an Arizona State alum if you must, but Aiyuk’s game-breaking speed has him being projected in the late first-round right now.
Aiyuk has some freakish athleticism to go with a good resume with the Sun Devils. As a senior, Aiyuk recorded nearly 1,200 receiving yards and a whopping 18.3 YPR. With a true freshman quarterback throwing him the ball, Aiyuk was the best part of Arizona State’s offense in 2019.
To strengthen his draft status, Aiyuk is also a special teams ace. Aiyuk notched 672 return yards in 2019 (446 KR, 226 PR) with a punt return touchdown to go with it. His 31.9 average kick return and 16.1 punt return average places him as one of the 2020 NFL Draft’s top return men.
Coming into the 2020 NFL Combine, there will be a lot of eyes set on Brandon Aiyuk. At weigh-ins, Aiyuk came in just shy of 6’0″ tall but has an unbelievable 80″ wingspan. Many are expecting Aiyuk to put on a show during wide receiver drills and show off his explosiveness in workouts like the vertical jump and the much-anticipated 40-yard dash. There’s a lot of good receivers in this year’s draft class, but a strong Combine could secure Aiyuk’s status in the first round.
For the Baltimore Ravens, Brandon Aiyuk gives you everything you want at wide receiver. Aiyuk’s presence would shore up a lackluster wide receiving core and he and Marquise Brown would absolutely dominate down the field. Baltimore has also been needing an ace special teams returner and Aiyuk fits the bill there, too.
Should the Ravens go wide receiver in the first round of this year’s draft, Brandon Aiyuk should be the guy for them. He’ll have a chance to show off his value at the Combine this week.