With more than a year of consistently working together, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk are displaying their well-developed chemistry on the field.
The second-year quarterback shared that part of their production is simply reps on the field together, but he also credited the wideout’s physical abilities.
“You watch the film, the separation that he creates,” Purdy said on Tuesday. “You get the ball in his hands, obviously the second gear that he has to pull away from DBs or whoever’s on the field. He does it all. And I think he’s just one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL.”
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There is a lot of star power on the 49ers' offense, but Aiyuk has been a standout in his fourth season with the team. The wideout leads the team in receiving with 43 receptions on 61 targets for 831 yards and four touchdowns.
Aiyuk’s 19.3 yards per reception ranks second in the NFL behind only Houston Texans receiver Noah Brown (21 receptions on 28 targets through five games). If Aiyuk continues at this pace, he is set up to total nearly 1,500 yards on the season.
"It started out I think in camp for us,” Purdy said. “When I got back, it was just studying how B.A. runs, how he gets in and out of breaks. He is different from Deebo [Samuel], he is different from George [Kittle]."
San Francisco 49ers
Purdy explained that adjusting to how fast Aiyuk can change direction has made a difference in their productivity. Other targets might take a little more time to develop their routes, which makes a quarterback take more time in the pocket with another hitch.
Aiyuk's quick change of direction in his routes has been something Purdy has grown to anticipate.
“B.A.’s just got length, man, he’s got range,” Purdy said. “I know where he can get to, and where I shouldn’t throw the ball and where he’s not going to be. Throwing with anticipation is huge for me. He understands that, and when I let the ball go, he gets to where he needs to be and we’ve made it happen.”
With Aiyuk as his top target, Purdy is leading the league in nearly every category — including but not limited to completion percentage (70.2), touchdown percentage (6.5), yards gained per completion (13.8), yards per attempt (9.7) and a passer rating of 115.1.
Purdy credits Aiyuk’s hard work for their increased production. The wideout’s vow to perfect his route running clearly is paying off.
“I feel like he can cut on a dime and get in and out of things pretty quickly,” Purdy said. “And then just his speed, his explosion off the line gets DBs to push back and that makes it easier to create separation. As a quarterback, I can sort of see where he is going to be. It makes it easier.
“I have all the confidence in the world in him and he’s always where he needs to be and as a quarterback, that’s all you could ask for.”