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San Francisco 49ers: Predicting 5 Long Shots Who Make the 2016 53-Man Roster

By Peter Panacy

Nov 28, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Devon Cajuste (89) catches a pass as Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Cole Luke (36) defends in the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Devon Cajuste (89) catches a pass as Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Cole Luke (36) defends in the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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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 /

No. 1: WR Devon Cajuste

Let’s all hope former Stanford wideout Devon Cajuste is seen more than just a dark-horse candidate to make the 53-man roster this season.

At 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds, Cajuste offers up something few other Niners receivers have — red-zone prowess. Traditionally a wide receiver, Cajuste may fit the mold of an H-back within head coach Chip Kelly’s offense, as Niner Noise’s James LeBreton elaborated on earlier.

Cajuste was relatively quiet during the first phases of training camp, which isn’t necessarily good.

But recent efforts have been a little more promising and, when factoring in what Kelly will want to do on offense, keeping Cajuste on the roster makes a lot of sense.

Here’s what David Fucillo of Niners Nation had to say about the rookie’s chances:

"Chip Kelly is a big proponent of fitting the system to the players, rather than trying to force players into a role that does not fit them. That doesn’t mean he won’t push on players, but if he thinks he can carve out a role specific to a player’s skillset, he’ll do something with it."

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Fucillo believes Cajuste will likely land on the practice squad his first year, which would make some sense why the 49ers aren’t talking much about him. It would be a very bad thing if Cajuste was hyped, only to not make it through waivers and land with another franchise seeing him as a good fit.

Still, the 49ers have more than a handful of questions here and, given Cajuste’s red-zone potential, it’s entirely plausible the team tries to work him into the rotation in one way or another.

Next: How Eric Rogers' ACL Injury Hampers 49ers Wide Receivers

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