Vikings' Peterson complimentary of Aiyuk's ‘great strides'

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EAGAN, Minn. — The 49ers' pairing of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk has the attention of Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson. 

On Thursday after two joint practices, Peterson spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area about the young receivers. The All-Pro has noticed how Aiyuk, in particular, has improved his game since the two faced off in Week 12 of the 2021 season. 

“Brandon is a guy on the rise,” Peterson said. “Had the opportunity to play against him last year and now having two days against him in practice he’s very sharp, very smooth. Always was big on his speed — great top-end speed. He has everything in his arsenal to be where he wants to be.” 

Even though Aiyuk thought the joint practices lacked excitement, calling them a “waste of time,” he did agree that going against Peterson was good for his game. 

“Going against guys like Pat P., they are always in the right spot,“ Aiyuk said. “They kind of get a cue on what the route is going to be based on alignment, route stem, where we’re lined up. You have to bring your A game. You have to switch stuff up with him. It was great work.” 

Aiyuk spent much of the offseason working with Trey Lance away from the facility and it has shown. The third-year receiver has been a standout since the team reported to Santa Clara for OTAs at the beginning of the offseason. 

The Arizona State product has not taken his foot off the pedal since, oftentimes a top target for Lance, backup Nate Sudfeld and occasionally Brock Purdy when they happen to be on the field together. Aiyuk’s improvement has been very obvious to Peterson. 

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“You can tell he’s taken great strides over the summer to put himself in a good position,” Peterson said. “A lot of improvement from last to this year. Smoother out of his breaks, looks like a lot of things are coming together for him.” 

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Peterson also had the chance to face off against Samuel during practices and shared how he enjoyed the competition. The “wide-back’s” unique skillset keeps defensive backs on their toes. 

“Deebo is one of those hybrid type of receivers,” Peterson said. “Big body that can play at any position, in the slot, outside, running back. We had some battles. That’s what great players do, find ways to make each other better. And that’s what we did these past few days." 

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