Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: 5 Biggest Weaknesses Entering 2016

By Chandler Wright

Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly speaks to the media during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly speaks to the media during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
Dec 6, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) carries the ball for the game winning 71 yard touchdown in front of Chicago Bears defensive back Chris Prosinski (31) during the overtime period at Soldier Field. The 49ers won 26-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) carries the ball for the game winning 71 yard touchdown in front of Chicago Bears defensive back Chris Prosinski (31) during the overtime period at Soldier Field. The 49ers won 26-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2, Who will be 49ers’ No. 2 Wideout?

We all know that Torrey Smith is the 49ers’ No. 1 wide receiver heading into 2016.

Whether he should be or not, the real question is who will be the 49ers No. 2 receiver this year?

Ninernoise.com’s Peter Panacy wrote a great article, referenced earlier, about starting lineup predictions. On his wide receiver slide, Panacy mentions Eric Rogers starting opposite Smith and Ellington in the slot.

Ellington will be the team’s second-best receiver, and may even catch the most passes this year, but I get the feeling that Rogers will battle DeAndre Smelter in training camp and preseason for the second outside receiver job in three wide receiver sets.

Right now, Rogers is making his case with solid work, as he signed the largest contract out of Canada since the Miami Dolphins DE/OLB Cameron Wake, according to Adam Schefter (via Bleacher Report’s Joe Pantorno).

Smelter should make hay in training camp, and DeAndrew White was impressive at times last year. White reminds me of former Niner Josh Morgan — not necessarily in play style, but he wasn’t targeted a lot in college. At Virginia Tech, Morgan played in a run-first offense. White was opposite Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper at Alabama. Both players were raved about by fans of the school. Maybe White can hit his stride at some point?

Whatever happens and however it plays out, the 49ers have little depth with youngsters who are all unproven. It’ll pay off in the future, but 2016’s receivers may be rough to watch. Rooting for Chip Kelly’s genius in this area as well as at quarterback.

Next: No. 1, Right Tackle