49ers preseason: 5 players to watch in Week 2

Wide Receiver Kendrick Bourne

Even after playing at a small school at Eastern Washington, which isn’t exactly a national powerhouse, and hauling in 79 catches for 1201 yards, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was an afterthought playing for a school, which has 13,500 students.

San Francisco 49ers

He was second on the team in receiving to another NFL rookie in Cooper Kupp, who managed 117 receptions for 1,700 yards, topping none other than Jerry Rice for the FCS leader in receiving.

Ironically, Bourne, at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, is the tallest receiver currently on the 49ers roster, so being overlooked will have to be figuratively speaking now.

And after hauling in four catches for 88 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs in Week 1 of preseason, it may be getting tougher and tougher to continue overlooking Bourne going forward.

While Bourne did drop two passes in his first preseason game, he rebounded well, hauling in a 46-yard touchdown pass from fellow rookie QB C.J. Beathard.

The competition for roster spots at the wide receiver position continues to be wide open, with Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin, Jeremy Kerley and possibly Trent Taylor looking like virtual locks to be 49ers come September.

With another strong performance against the Broncos on Saturday, especially if it comes against their first- or second-team defense, Bourne can potentially add a weapon to the 49ers offense that they have lacked since Terrell Owens donned the red and gold: a big receiver with big-play ability.

While Garcon and Goodwin seem set at the starting wideout positions, Bourne could find a role by becoming a big target for QB Brian Hoyer to utilize along with Kerley and/or Taylor.