Brandon Aiyuk, at least for a moment, was confused when he heard his name called at pick No. 25 in the 2020 NFL Draft. But not for the reason you think.
The 49ers wide receiver joined former teammate Richard Sherman on the latest episode of "The Richard Sherman Podcast," where he recalled the roller-coaster of emotions he experienced before San Francisco came calling that fateful night.
"I still remember it so vividly ... Wes [Welker] was the receiver coach at the time, and Wes used to call me pretty much every single day, it was pretty much like I was already on the team ... He was calling me a lot, so I had a good idea," Aiyuk said. "They had pick 31 and I was supposed to go between 22 and 32 or whatever.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE "But they had 31 and the story is, I didn't really know how it went. I saw Niners were on the board and they had traded their pick up; they traded up from 31 to 25 and on the board it says the pick is in, but I'm thinking they call you first and let you know you get drafted then the pick comes in. It says the pick is in, so I'm like, aw, they're not going to draft me. Then I hear my name get called and then they call me, so it was a little bit backward from what I thought."
Aiyuk initially was disappointed when he heard the pick had been made, because he assumed the 49ers had passed on him, which resulted in a less-than-enthused reaction on the in-house camera shot of him and his family before San Francisco came calling shortly after.
"It was the craziest thing, everybody was like 'What are you doing?' You see on the video, right when the pick came in it went silent in the room and then I got this weird feeling in my chest before everything happened," Aiyuk added. "It was weird, it played out so crazy."
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
RELATED: Lance turning heads, impressing 49ers teammates early in camp
Aiyuk's reaction went semi-viral that night because of how uninterested he looked after the life-altering news, but clearly, there was important context missing.
Fast forward to 2023, and Aiyuk is entering his fourth season with the 49ers after a breakout campaign in 2022 where he led the team in receptions (78), targets (114) and receiving yards (1,015). It's safe to say he's probably happy with the team that (eventually) came calling on draft night.