Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State
In a draft class loaded with receiver talent, the Lions could capitalize to add more firepower to their offense. This is a year that features a group of receivers like Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State that will fall past the first round that otherwise would not had they not been in such a talented group.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com believes Aiyuk ‘has the potential to develop into a WR3’ at the NFL level due to his size, speed, and catching ability. He has to improve at making contested catches and needs some work at in the route running department as well.
Ascending receiving prospect who has shown continued improvement since coming from the JUCO ranks. Aiyuk has size, speed and is a natural pass-catcher who plays with good energy but he must improve physicality to handle contested catches. He can be slick and instinctive to separate out of stems and turns, but getting in and out of standard route breaks tends to limit his effectiveness. He needs more polish, but his ability to create yards after catch could get him some early reps while he’s still developing. He has the potential to develop into a WR3.
The size of Aiyuk is quite impressive as he stands at 6’0″ and weighs 205 lbs. He also possesses 33 1/2″ arms and 9 3/4″ hands, for reference. The results he achieved at the NFL Scouting Combine featured a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, a 40.0″ vertical jump, 128.0″ broad jump, and 11 bench press reps.
Adding a youthful option into the mix at receiver would make plenty of sense for the Lions. They currently have Marvin Jones Jr. (30) and Danny Amendola (34) as their top targets.
