'It Was Already Written': Rocklin Native Brandon Aiyuk Tweets Picture Of Himself In 49ers Gear At 4-Years-Old

ROCKLIN (CBS13) — The 49ers moved up in the NFL Draft on Thursday to select Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk - and from childhood photos, it felt like destiny for the Northern California native.

Aiyuk, 22, was born in Rocklin but went to high school in Reno. His breakout senior year at Arizona State University got the attention of NFL scouts, who predicted he would be a high-round draft pick.

On Thursday, after the 49ers drafted him with the 25th pick in the first round, Aiyuk tweeted a photo of himself when he was four-years-old and already clad in San Francisco gear.

"It was already written …4 years old!!" Aiyuk wrote.

Aiyuk said in an interview (the transcript of which was provided by the 49ers) after the draft that his mom has been a lifelong Niner fan.

"My mom's been a huge 49ers fan her whole life, so that kind of bled on me a little bit when I was younger," Aiyuk said.

While he played high school ball in Reno, he came back to Rocklin area and suited up for the Sierra College football team before transferring to Arizona State.

"Pretty much my senior year, I knew I was going to end up going to junior college if I wanted to continue to play football," Aiyuk said.

At Arizona State, he got noticed for his yards-after-catch ability.

"I kind of just have that mentality that every time I touch the football I want to go score a touchdown," Aiyuk said.

With the coronavirus pandemic ongoing, the new 49er says he's now working out in his garage and an empty field near his house in Reno.

"Trying to figure out ways to work out hasn't been too much of an issue for me, but I just know that the main thing is to be in shape whenever we do get back to football,"

Aiyuk was one of two picks the 49ers had in the first round. Earlier, they selected South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw with the 14th pick.