10 Areas of Hope, Concern for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016
By Peter Panacy
A Youthful Wide Receiver Crop
The 49ers elected to pass on veteran free-agent wide receiver Anquan Boldin which, in turn, opens up the door for a number of young wideouts to step into the fray and earn roles.
There shouldn’t be any question about 27-year-old receiver Torrey Smith assuming the No. 1 role here. But exactly who plays alongside him is anyone’s guess. Will Bruce Ellington earn this job? Perhaps it falls upon an up-and-coming target like DeAndrew White or Aaron Burbridge.
Or, maybe, wide receiver Quinton Patton finally emerges with enough consistency.
Room for Hope
San Francisco spent the last few seasons employing veteran receivers like Brandon Lloyd, Stevie Johnson and Jerome Simpson rather than letting their own guys develop. Patton is a perfect example.
Essentially, the competition is wide open here. And competition typically breeds the best performances out of any athlete.
More importantly, the cast of wideouts who make the 53-man roster will have had the time to work together, jell together and develop a chemistry. And they can do so without having to feel the pressure of overtaking an established veteran or two.
Ellington might be a player to watch — a guy whom head coach Chip Kelly could put into a unique role.
Room for Concern
Inexperience. Plain and simple.
Here are some fun stats for you. The 49ers have only two receivers — Smith and Simpson — who have more than 40 career NFL receptions. And the average age of San Francisco’s receiving corps is just 24.4 years old.
OK, so youth is a good thing. But tack on the average length of NFL experience (2.5) and one can see why this might be a problem.
Aside from Smith, the Niners lack a true bona fide threat. That could hurt unless, maybe, the team is able to groom a gem from a relatively unknown cast of receiving targets.
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