SANTA CLARA — The 49ers had an NFL-best nine players named to the Pro Bowl this week, but general manager John Lynch believes one more player deserves to be on the list.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has 72 catches on 101 targets for 1,317 yards and seven touchdowns so far this season, but he only was named as an alternate. His 18.3 yards per reception leads the NFL, but his total yards through 15 games played ranks him No. 6 in the league.
Lynch believes Aiyuk should have been given Pro Bowl honors, and explained why Friday on KNBR 680's "Murph & Markus."
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“I believe that he’s earned it.” Lynch said. “What he’s done, his yards per catch. We were at a point, deep in the season, and someone told me every catch but two of his have gone for a first down. He’s No. 1 in the league in yards per reception, but the thing that I think that takes him over the top is the commitment he’s made to run-blocking.”
Aiyuk’s physicality has been on full display on the field. Not only is the Arizona State product unafraid to catch a ball across the middle, but he has made countless blocks in the run game to open lanes for his teammates.
“To do all of the things he’s doing in the pass game, the explosiveness, seven games with over 100 yards,” Lynch said. “And then to couple that with the commitment he made to be the best run-blocking receiver in the league.”
Lynch didn’t discount the four other NFC receivers who received Pro Bowl honors — the Dallas Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb, Philadelphia Eagles' A.J. Brown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans and Los Angeles Rams' Puka Nacua — but simply pointed out Aiyuk’s overwhelming contributions to the 49ers’ success.
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“Kyle talks about how it dictates the tempo and attitude of the team, as much as Trent Williams coming off the ball,” Lynch said. “When your receivers buy into that, and it is contagious. BA sold out, and man, this guy is a Pro Bowler in my mind, he’s an All-Pro in my mind, I’m so proud of him, and I felt sick for him that he didn’t make it.”
Aiyuk did have fan support, with the highest vote count of any NFC wide receiver, but that’s not the only criterion it takes to receive Pro Bowl honors. Players and coaches also vote, and the combined data determines the final roster.
“I will say our fans were unbelievable,” Lynch said. “It wasn’t for a lack of trying — the way they came out and supported our players was unbelievable. The Faithful never cease to amaze me.
“I did feel bad for BA, but I know that, through my own experience, that sometimes it’s just the way it goes. You should have made it one year, and then you make it the next year, and BA has that in him.”