San Francisco 49ers: Identifying 10 cornerstone players for 2018
By Peter Panacy
![SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/12ca9dd290ff07f2a8100e812c41d056a0f7cb91310834f94211c5fc6263d8db.jpg)
No. 8: Wide Receiver Trent Taylor
Another rookie to look at is wide receiver Trent Taylor.
Taylor’s 2017 stats haven’t exactly suggested a late-round draft steal by San Francisco. On the year he has just 24 catches for 204 yards and a touchdown. Combine that with a broken rib suffered in Week 9, and Taylor’s season could come to a premature close.
But shoddy quarterback play over almost the entirety of this season has negated any impact the small-but-shifty slot receiver could have.
This example from the Niners’ Week 9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals pretty much sums up why Taylor hasn’t impacted the stat sheet:
Fox NFL announcer Darryl Johnston said Trent Taylor needed to make this play and go up and get it. But he's at full extension here and the ball is off his finger tips.
— Rich (@richjmadrid) November 8, 2017
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/aozfeywjYp
Remember, Taylor led all of college football in receiving yards (1,803) in 2016. And with NFL teams largely going with three-wide sets, getting Taylor into the game plan next season should be a top priority for head coach Kyle Shanahan.