49ers: 5 Players Who Will Shine in Training Camp

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Eric Rogers

Arguably the most open competition going into training camp is at the wide receiver position. Other than veteran Torrey Smith, the final composition of this group could go in any number of different directions.

Rogers has one big advantage in the upcoming competition in camp — he is the tallest receiver at 6-foot-3. As you can see from the above video, his hands are exceptional and he is excellent at fighting for the football in the air.

His experience in playing professionally in Canada will parlay him into having an advantage in camp over the other rookie receivers. His size is a factor which Kelly really likes – in Philadelphia last season he had 6-foot-3 receiver Jordan Matthews, and what did he do? 85 receptions for 997 yards (11.7 yards per catch) and eight TDs.

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Good numbers.

Rogers won’t catch 85 balls this season, but he should have well over 50. At 25, despite being a NFL rookie, he knows he doesn’t have a bunch of years left to prove himself at this level. It isn’t proper to call this “a chip on his shoulder,” but it is an underlying motivating factor which enables him to make catches like this:

His early work at the 49ers OTAs and minicamp has been promising. He will shine in camp because of (outside of Aaron Burbridge) the strongest hands on the receiver unit. His desire to go up and get the football is outstanding, and can only stand him in good stead on the practice field as he fights to begin his NFL career.

And we cannot underestimate the goal of becoming the team’s No. 2 receiver, which is far from a foregone conclusion right now, as David Fucillo of Niners Nation further notes:

"The wide receiver corps is loaded with question marks given the lack of experience. Rogers lacks NFL experience, but the CFL could be the kind of finishing school that helps him take a big step forward in the NFL. He signed as a UDFA out of a Division III school, and while the CFL is not on the level of the NFL, leading that league in the major receiving categories is still not something to which we should turn up our nose. And with no clear-cut No. 2 receiver on this team, it’s a huge opportunity for Rogers."

Rogers has been waiting for this opportunity his whole career. There is no doubt he won’t let this opportunity slip in training camp.

Next: What if Colin Kaepernick Loses Starting Quarterback Battle to Blaine Gabbert?

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

San Francisco 49ers: 5 Players Who Will Shine in Training Camp

By Trevor Irvine | Jul 21, 2016

Eric Rogers

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