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San Francisco 49ers: 10 Dark-Horse Candidates to Make the 53-Man Roster in 2016

By Peter Panacy

November 14, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks cornerback Ugo Amadi (14, left) is called for defensive pass interference against Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Devon Cajuste (89, right) during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. The Ducks defeated the Cardinal 38-36. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 14, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks cornerback Ugo Amadi (14, left) is called for defensive pass interference against Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Devon Cajuste (89, right) during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. The Ducks defeated the Cardinal 38-36. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 27, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes wide receiver Dres Anderson (6) stretches before the game against the Washington State Cougars at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 27, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes wide receiver Dres Anderson (6) stretches before the game against the Washington State Cougars at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports /

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:

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:

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