Brandon Aiyuk was definitely a Division I football player out of high school. The problem came that his grades did not match the talent on the gridiron, forcing Aiyuk to go the JUCO route and attend Sierra College for two years. 

While his work in the classroom rose, the play on the field stayed on track, catching 89 passes for 1,533 yards and 19 touchdowns over his two seasons at Sierra.

From there, it was time for Aiyuk to take all of his talents to D-I, choosing to play at Arizona State.

"Coming from junior college, it's a lot of one-on-one footballl. You don't really have to identify coverages. You don't really have to do much. You just have to beat the guy in front of you," Aiyuk said in late February at the NFL Combine. "When I first got to Arizona State that was a little different for me, having to identify things at the snap. That's one of the huge parts I wanted to attack the offseason before my senior season. That was probably the biggest area of improvement."

Aiyuk's first season in Tempe was alright, posting 33 receptions for 474 yards and three TDs in 13 games (3 starts).

It's this past year where things really took off, with 65 receptions for 1,192 yards and eight TDs. 

What really sets Aiyuk apart from most of the WRs in this draft class is his ability to be dynamic after the catch, averaging 10.9 YAC this past seasons, 2nd only to Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb.

It's an ability he credits to his early football years.

"I think my running back background," Aiyuk said. "Then when I catch the ball, exploding through the point and getting vertical. Then going from there and using my speed, athleticism to finish runs."

That also on display as a return man. Aiyuk averaged 31.9 yards per kick return last season. That was tops in the PAC-12 and 5th in the nation. He ranked better as a punt returner, averaging 16.1 yards per return, also tops in the conference, but sitting 3rd in the country.

Aiyuk earning First Team All-PAC 12 and third team All-American honors this past year.

As he begin to transition to a pro career, Aiyuk feels he already has a leg up because of the system from by former NFL and current ASU head coach Herm Edwards.

"With Herm, it was huge, especially him playing corner and him being the head coach," Aiyuk said. "He was someone I could talk to or just go to him and say 'Coach, when you're playing press coverage, what's the first thing you're thinking?' and he gives me an answer just because he has the background in the NFL. Then if he sees something in my release or something at the top of the route then he's telling me as a DB I can pick up on that. Your arms are going dead so I know that you're going to break. So stuff like that. He just helps me with stuff like that."

Some believe Aiyuk needs to improve his physicality, especially in contested-catch situations. 

He is firmly in that 2nd tier of WRs in this draft class, likely a lock to go somewhere in the 2nd round.