Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Predicting Risers & Fallers in Chip Kelly’s Offense

By Peter Panacy

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Nov 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) during a player injury against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) during a player injury against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Riser: Wide Receiver Torrey Smith

Wide receiver Torrey Smith was vastly underutilized by the 49ers offense in 2015. The prototypical deep threat was not the savior for San Francisco’s offense, which hoped the speedster would open things up underneath for the passing game.

A lot of this falls on former offensive coordinator Geep Chryst for failing to put Smith into situations other than the handful of home-run passes seen over the course of last season.

But that should be expected to change under Kelly.

Granted, an effective offensive line will be necessary to ensure the 49ers quarterback, whoever he may be in 2016, will have enough time to throw and take advantage of Smith’s route-running capabilities.

Yet speed is an inherent part of Kelly’s approach. At least according to NFL analyst Nate Burleson (h/t Joe Fann of 49ers.com):

"That’s the genius of the offense. You have individuals worrying about a place where you’re not going. It’s the ultimate game of distraction. I can point you in one direction and make the defensive line, linebackers and safeties all think different things; all the while I’m going up top to Torrey. But it all has to work in unison. Everyone has to know what’s going on."

We’ll get to Hyde in a bit, but Burleson’s assessment points in the direction of Smith being more of a factor in 2016 than last year.

Next: Faller: Bruce Ellington