Brandon Aiyuk once was in Kyle Shanahan's doghouse, but he since has clawed his way out and now has established himself as the 49ers' leading receiver.
The third-year wideout joined KNBR 680's "Murph & Mac" on Tuesday morning, where he was asked about his rocky start to the 2021 season and if Shanahan ever was hard on him as a young receiver.
"I guess you could say that," Aiyuk said. "I think his thing that he tells me now, he felt I was never really coached the way I should have been coached as a receiver. Everybody tells you you're just the best thing ever your whole life, getting recruited and this and that. So you never really fully understand what it is to be coached by a professional. I guess you can call it being 'hard on' or 'doghouse' or whatever you want to call it."
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Shanahan's relationship with Aiyuk made headlines for all the wrong reasons last season.
The young receiver did not show his head coach the consistency in practice that Shanahan needed out of the 2020 first-round pick, which famously landed Aiyuk in the doghouse until he re-emerged as a key weapon in the 49ers' offense throughout the second half of the season.
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Aiyuk since has established himself as a leader for the 49ers, and his 38 receptions for 483 yards and four touchdowns through eight games in 2022 lead all of San Francisco's pass-catchers, including All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel.
San Francisco 49ers
The adversity that Aiyuk went through in his sophomore season clearly has helped him develop into a budding star in one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL.