TEMPE – Sun Devil Football wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk kicked off the opening night of the 2020 NFL Draft with a flourish as he was selected with the 25th overall pick in the First Round by the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday evening.
Aiyuk is the 26th Sun Devil to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft and the second consecutive ASU wide receiver to be selected in the first round after N'Keal Harry's 32nd overall pick by the New England Patriots last season. It is the first time Sun Devil wide receivers have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in back-to-back seasons in program history.
Arizona State joins back-to-back College Football Playoff semifinalist Oklahoma (Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb) as the only programs to have wide receivers drafted in the first round of both the 2019 and 2020 drafts. It was the first time a program had wide receivers go in the first round of back-to-back drafts since Clemson's DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins in 2013-14.
Historically, the Sun Devils and Oklahoma mark just the seventh and eighth times in NFL Draft history that a program has posted first round wide receiver selections in back-to-back drafts, joining Clemson (2013-14), Ohio State (2006-07), Ohio State (1995-96), Colorado (1994-95), USC (1993-94) and Tennessee (1982-84).
Aiyuk became the 252nd Sun Devil to be selected in the professional draft. His 25th overall selection was the highest since Terrell Suggs went 10th overall in the 2003 Draft. He became the highest wide receiver selected since Aaron Cox went 20th overall in 1988.
Aiyuk joined Harry, Aaron Cox (1988), John Jefferson (1978) and Steve Holden (1973), J.D. Hill (1967), and Charley Taylor (1964) as the other Sun Devil wide receivers in history to be selected in the first round.
ASU's seven all-time wide receiver selections in the first round are the fifth most of any FBS program behind Tennessee (11), USC (8), Ohio State (8) and Miami Fl. (8) Sun Devil wide receivers in the NFL have combined for 3,206 catches for 48,086 receiving yards and 337 receiving touchdowns.
Arizona State wide receivers selected in the first round of NFL Draft
Brandon Aiyuk – San Francisco 49ers, 25th overall, 2020
N'Keal Harry – New England Patriots, 32nd overall, 2019
Aaron Cox – Los Angeles Rams, 20th overall, 1988
John Jefferson – San Diego Chargers, 14th overall, 1978
J.D. Hill – Buffalo Bills, 4th Overall, 1971
Steve Holden – Cleveland Browns, 16th overall, 1973
Charley Taylor – Washington Redskins, 3rd Overall, 1967
Aiyuk recorded 1,192 receiving yards in his senior season, the fifth-most in ASU single season history and he was within 18 of fourth and 56 of third.
He was second in the FBS in the regular season in yards after the catch with 710, while his 10.9 yards after the catch per receptions were the 12th-most nationally. He was first in the Pac-12 with 3.04 yards per route run on the season. When quarterbacks targeted him, they recorded a 133.9 NFL QB Rating this season, which was good for 10th in the country in the regular season.
Aiyuk finished the regular season 8th nationally and 2nd in the Pac-12 with 1,192 receiving yards on the year while his 99.3 receiving yards per game were also 13th in the FBS in the regular season and second in the league. Six of his eight touchdown receptions in 2019 were for more than 30 yards (77 yards vs. Kent State, 53 yards vs. Colorado, 40 yards vs. WSU, 86 yards vs. WSU, 33 yards vs. WSU, 81 vs. ORE).
He was one of just three receivers with two 80+ yard receiving touchdowns on the year (Arkansas State's Omar Bayless and Louisville's Chatarius Atwell). His six catches over 50 yards were second in nation in the regular season while his nine 40+ yard catches were third and three 70+ grabs were second. His 12 catches over 30 yards were good for sixth.
He finished regular season 6th nationally and first in the Pac-12 in all-purpose yards at 155.83 per game – the most for any wide receiver in the country. He went over 2,000 all-purpose yards (2,725) in his career at ASU despite being in Tempe for less than two complete seasons.
Aiyuk racked up 1,870 all-purpose yards in the regular season (sixth nationally) on just 94 total plays (19.9 yards per touch, which was fourth nationally). The five players ahead of Aiyuk were all running backs and each had at least 245 total touches.
Among the Top-15 players nationally in total yards, no other player was within eight yards per touch of Aiyuk's 19.9 tally (Maryland's Javon Leake at 11.3, all others below 10.0). He was the only player in the country to record at least 200 yards on both punt (226) and kick (446) returns in the regular season. His 226 punt return yards were 11th in the country.
At 1,870 all-purpose yards, he finished fourth in ASU single season history and was within 195 yards of Wilford White's long-standing school record of 2,065 set back in 1950.
Aiyuk is the 26th Sun Devil to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft and the second consecutive ASU wide receiver to be selected in the first round after N'Keal Harry's 32nd overall pick by the New England Patriots last season. It is the first time Sun Devil wide receivers have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in back-to-back seasons in program history.
Arizona State joins back-to-back College Football Playoff semifinalist Oklahoma (Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb) as the only programs to have wide receivers drafted in the first round of both the 2019 and 2020 drafts. It was the first time a program had wide receivers go in the first round of back-to-back drafts since Clemson's DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins in 2013-14.
Historically, the Sun Devils and Oklahoma mark just the seventh and eighth times in NFL Draft history that a program has posted first round wide receiver selections in back-to-back drafts, joining Clemson (2013-14), Ohio State (2006-07), Ohio State (1995-96), Colorado (1994-95), USC (1993-94) and Tennessee (1982-84).
Aiyuk became the 252nd Sun Devil to be selected in the professional draft. His 25th overall selection was the highest since Terrell Suggs went 10th overall in the 2003 Draft. He became the highest wide receiver selected since Aaron Cox went 20th overall in 1988.
Aiyuk joined Harry, Aaron Cox (1988), John Jefferson (1978) and Steve Holden (1973), J.D. Hill (1967), and Charley Taylor (1964) as the other Sun Devil wide receivers in history to be selected in the first round.
ASU's seven all-time wide receiver selections in the first round are the fifth most of any FBS program behind Tennessee (11), USC (8), Ohio State (8) and Miami Fl. (8) Sun Devil wide receivers in the NFL have combined for 3,206 catches for 48,086 receiving yards and 337 receiving touchdowns.
Arizona State wide receivers selected in the first round of NFL Draft
Brandon Aiyuk – San Francisco 49ers, 25th overall, 2020
N'Keal Harry – New England Patriots, 32nd overall, 2019
Aaron Cox – Los Angeles Rams, 20th overall, 1988
John Jefferson – San Diego Chargers, 14th overall, 1978
J.D. Hill – Buffalo Bills, 4th Overall, 1971
Steve Holden – Cleveland Browns, 16th overall, 1973
Charley Taylor – Washington Redskins, 3rd Overall, 1967
Aiyuk recorded 1,192 receiving yards in his senior season, the fifth-most in ASU single season history and he was within 18 of fourth and 56 of third.
He was second in the FBS in the regular season in yards after the catch with 710, while his 10.9 yards after the catch per receptions were the 12th-most nationally. He was first in the Pac-12 with 3.04 yards per route run on the season. When quarterbacks targeted him, they recorded a 133.9 NFL QB Rating this season, which was good for 10th in the country in the regular season.
Aiyuk finished the regular season 8th nationally and 2nd in the Pac-12 with 1,192 receiving yards on the year while his 99.3 receiving yards per game were also 13th in the FBS in the regular season and second in the league. Six of his eight touchdown receptions in 2019 were for more than 30 yards (77 yards vs. Kent State, 53 yards vs. Colorado, 40 yards vs. WSU, 86 yards vs. WSU, 33 yards vs. WSU, 81 vs. ORE).
He was one of just three receivers with two 80+ yard receiving touchdowns on the year (Arkansas State's Omar Bayless and Louisville's Chatarius Atwell). His six catches over 50 yards were second in nation in the regular season while his nine 40+ yard catches were third and three 70+ grabs were second. His 12 catches over 30 yards were good for sixth.
He finished regular season 6th nationally and first in the Pac-12 in all-purpose yards at 155.83 per game – the most for any wide receiver in the country. He went over 2,000 all-purpose yards (2,725) in his career at ASU despite being in Tempe for less than two complete seasons.
Aiyuk racked up 1,870 all-purpose yards in the regular season (sixth nationally) on just 94 total plays (19.9 yards per touch, which was fourth nationally). The five players ahead of Aiyuk were all running backs and each had at least 245 total touches.
Among the Top-15 players nationally in total yards, no other player was within eight yards per touch of Aiyuk's 19.9 tally (Maryland's Javon Leake at 11.3, all others below 10.0). He was the only player in the country to record at least 200 yards on both punt (226) and kick (446) returns in the regular season. His 226 punt return yards were 11th in the country.
At 1,870 all-purpose yards, he finished fourth in ASU single season history and was within 195 yards of Wilford White's long-standing school record of 2,065 set back in 1950.