No. 9: Wide Receiver Dres Anderson
While wide receiver DeAndrew White is a dark-horse candidate, another is fellow receiver Dres Anderson.
And Anderson may have a step up after a very solid campaign during OTAs and minicamp.
More on that in a second, but we shouldn’t forget Anderson was picked up by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent following the 2015 NFL Draft. More than a few draft boards had him as high as a fourth-round pick, so it’s possible the 6-foot-2, 190-pound speedster is a steal.
Anderson never made it to the regular-season roster last year and spent his rookie season on injured reserve.
But, as Rob Lowder of Niners Wire pointed out, there are more than a few traits San Francisco’s coaching staff may like in Anderson:
Incredible effort by Dres Anderson. Realizes he's being forced OB, adjusts mid-route, catch and dive. #49ers https://t.co/nwr2vG4BRy
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) July 2, 2016
His tall frame is a good thing, but Anderson is also pretty lean. Such problems are generally overshadowed in zero-contact OTA periods, so this will be a thing to monitor in training camp.
Still, Anderson had more than just an impressive camp so far, as Joe Fann of 49ers.com pointed out recently:
Dres Anderson was the offensive standout of the day for the #49ers. More targets today than I can ever remember seeing. Several nice catches
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) June 9, 2016
Anderson may still be a weak-bubble contender, but he’s probably one of the stronger candidates out of this particular bunch at wide receiver.
Next: No. 8: Alex Balducci