Brandon Aiyuk Drafted by 49ers: San Francisco's Latest Depth Chart After Round 1

The San Francisco 49ers added an impact wide receiver at the 2020 NFL draft Thursday.

San Francisco selected Arizona State's Brandon Aiyuk with the No. 25 overall pick after trading up from No. 31 with the Minnesota Vikings, giving the 49ers one of the Pac-12's most productive pass-catchers from the 2019 season.

The 22-year-old joined the Sun Devils as a 3-star junior-college transfer from Sierra College, per 247Sports' composite rankings. N'Keal Harry was the go-to receiver in the offense during the 2018 campaign, and Aiyuk was overshadowed on his way to 474 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

However, he thrived in 2019 with 65 catches for 1,192 yards and eight touchdowns, taking advantage of single coverage when opponents stacked the box to deal with running back Eno Benjamin.

Aiyuk surely put himself on the NFL radar with a number of game-changing performances in key conference games, including when he tallied 161 receiving yards and a touchdown in a November upset of the Oregon Ducks. He also scored three times in a back-and-forth affair with Washington State.

He ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine and had no trouble breaking free of defensive backs during his final collegiate season.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller projected Aiyuk as a first-round pick at No. 30 overall in a post-combine mock draft.

"Arizona State's Brandon Aiyuk is fantastic with the football in his hands," he wrote. "With the ability to line up outside or inside the formation, Aiyuk brings versatility and big-play potential at wideout."

That type of skill set figures to help him compete for a prominent spot on San Francisco's depth chart from the moment he steps on the field.

Depth Chart

QB - Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens

RB - Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida

WR 1 - Deebo Samuel

WR 2 - Brandon Aiyuk

WR 3 - Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Hurd

TE - George Kittle, Ross Dwelley

LT - Joe Staley, Justin Skule

LG - Laken Tomlinson, Kofi Amichia

C - Weston Richburg, Ben Garland

RG - Tom Compton, Daniel Brunskill

RT - Mike McGlinchey, Shon Coleman

The 49ers need to replace Emmanuel Sanders in a passing game that finished a solid but unspectacular 13th in the league in yards per game last season. Aiyuk gives them someone who can help them do just that if he builds on what he showed at Arizona State.