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San Francisco 49ers: Who Will Emerge as the No. 2 Wide Receiver

By Sequoia Sims

Oct 11, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver DeAndre Smelter (15) runs with the ball against the Duke Blue Devils in the third quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Duke won 31-25. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver DeAndre Smelter (15) runs with the ball against the Duke Blue Devils in the third quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Duke won 31-25. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Let’s take a look at the candidates that could emerge as the No. 2 wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016.

Recently, on Niner Noise, we’ve discussed why Torrey Smith should be the No. 1 wide receiver in 2016. Now we will look at the candidates vying for that No. 2 position opposite Smith.

First up is second-year pro DeAndre Smelter.

Also on Niner Noise, we’ve discussed the huge upside and untapped potential of Smelter. Unfortunately, for Smelter, he was limited during minicamp after he sustained a hamstring injury, per Eric Branch of SFGate.com:

Smelter has a golden opportunity — with his overall skill set, his physicality and being in the mold of former 49ers wideout Anquan Boldin — to emerge as the No. 2 wide receiver. Smelter will have to make his case in pads when training camp starts and also in preseason games.

And what of former CFL receiver Eric Rogers?

In the CFL, Rogers dominated, amassing league-leading and career highs in receiving yards, with 1,448. Also, he was tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns (10) and was fourth in receptions with 87, per the team’s website.

Here’s what quarterback Blaine Gabbert had to say about Rogers:

"He’s big, long and rangy. He’s really got deceptive speed. You have to bomb it to him if you don’t want him to over run it. He’s done a tremendous job. He’s a guy who you have to utilize in the red zone because he is so tall and has some good vertical leap ability. He’s a matchup nightmare."

Standing at 6’3″ and 210 pounds, running a 4.48 40-yard-dash time and with a 37″ vertical, Rodgers has all the physical tools and natural attributes to make him worthy to be mentioned as a potential candidate.

But we can’t overlook third-year pro Bruce Ellington.

Standing at 5’9″ and 197 pounds, running a 4.45 40-yard-dash time and with a 39.5″ vertical, Ellington has the speed, agility, explosiveness and elusiveness to make him an impact player on offense.

Here’s what Gabbert had to say about Ellington:

"Going into his third year, he’s now a vet. He’s a vet in that room. He knows how to prepare himself day in and day out, and it’s really carrying over to the field. He’s balling out right now. The biggest thing I see from him — he’s having fun, he’s enjoying it and he’s catching a ton of balls right now."

Oct 22, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington (10) escapes Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cassius Marsh (91) on a kickoff return during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington (10) escapes Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cassius Marsh (91) on a kickoff return during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Ellington has worked extensively in the slot, and the overall consensus has been he’ll be the team’s starting slot receiver, barring any health setbacks or underperforming in camp and preseason games.

With head coach Chip Kelly deploying multiple receiver sets, Ellington is poised to have No. 2 receiver statistics. But he’ll occupy the position title of the third receiver or slot receiver.

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We should also take a look at second-year wideout Dres Anderson.

Standing at 6’1″ and 190 pounds, running a 4.52 40-yard-dash time, Anderson already has an NFL pedigree. His father, “Flipper” Anderson played for 10 years as an NFL wideout. It should be noted that Dres Anderson ran a low 40 time because he was still recovering from a 2014 season-ending knee injury.

Take a look at Anderson’s scouting report from NFL.com:

"Good definition through upper body. Long legs that eat up space downfield. Good enough with downfield route-running. Possesses eye-catching second gear to separate in space. Plays bigger than listed size. Aggressive, effective run blocker. Doesn’t fear the middle of the field. Adjusts well to low throws. Creates additional space with smart hand usage at top of routes. Can throttle down and get feet down near sideline. High-pointer with necessary body control. Will adjust routes to benefit quarterback. Has feel to negotiate traffic after the catch."

Anderson stood out during minicamp and was a sleeper, up to this point, to be the team’s No. 2 starting wide receiver, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area.

Based on the scouting report, Anderson has all the physical attributes, skill set and talent level to emerge as the No. 2 starting wide receiver.

However, Maiocco also pointed out it’s still too early to determine the job without pads on. One can have a better assessment when training camp and preseason games start; to have a determination, with a conviction, of who will emerge as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver.

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Maiocco said neither wide receivers Quinton Patton nor Jerome Simpson did much during the team’s mandatory minicamp this past week to assert themselves as the No. 2 guy. Also, Maiocco gave honorable mention to undrafted receivers Bryce Treggs and DeAndrew White as players who look good.

Until this unit puts pads on in training camp, and plays preseason games, you can’t fully assess this group — Maiocco’s point, and I agree. However, this strong list of candidates is poised for a strong training camp and preseason battle that should be very competitive.

Next: 49ers: Why Torrey Smith Should Be the No. 1 Wide Receiver?

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com, Sports-Reference.com and 49ers.com unless otherwise indicated.