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San Francisco 49ers: 5 hot takes for the upcoming 2017 season

By Peter Panacy

Nov 13, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (17) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (17) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 12, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (17) reacts in the game against the Los Angeles Rams in the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers won 28-0. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (17) reacts in the game against the Los Angeles Rams in the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers won 28-0. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 3: Jeremy Kerley, not Pierre Garcon, Will be 49ers’ Leading Wide Receiver

Wait, so how is slot receiver Jeremy Kerley going to best out presumed No. 1 wideout Pierre Garcon?

This one shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.

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Let’s cross off likely No. 2 receiver Marquise Goodwin off the list for now, simply because he has a pretty bad injury history. So that likely leaves both Kerley and Garcon to battle it out for the team lead in both receptions and receiving yards.

Kerley earned that accolade last year (64 and 667, respectively) and could be a candidate to repeat again.

Teams will frequently place their best corners on Garcon, since he enters the season as the Niners’ best receiving threat. But that opens up more opportunities for Kerley, who has already proven himself on an anemic passing offense from last year.

Garcon will be 31 years old by the start of the regular season, but he still has good enough speed to threaten the deeper parts of the field. Yet quarterback Brian Hoyer’s arm isn’t strong enough to take advantage of this, so Kerley may wind up being the go-to guy.