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San Francisco 49ers: How Trent Taylor can be a viable weapon in 2018

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 24: Trent Taylor #81 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a five-yard touchdown catch against the Jacksonville Jaguars during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 24: Trent Taylor #81 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a five-yard touchdown catch against the Jacksonville Jaguars during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /
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The San Francisco 49ers got some noteworthy production from first-year wide receiver Trent Taylor in 2017. While he didn’t rank so high in analysis, this upcoming year should be much better.

San Francisco 49ers slot receiver Trent Taylor was one of a number of feel-good stories the team had during the latter half of 2017.

All the former fifth-round pick did last season was finish fourth on offense with 430 receiving yards while emerging as a promising third-down weapon for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and Co.

And Taylor’s 18 third-down receptions for first downs also led San Francisco’s offense, tying for ninth most in the NFL.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Bleacher Report’s NFL1000 series took a look at the top-performing slot receivers of 2017 and ranked Taylor 23rd out of 36 players evaluated. Here’s what they had to say:

"He is a small and extremely quick, and he does his best work within eight yards of the line of scrimmage. Because of his stature (5’8″, 178 pounds), his catch radius is small, so he can’t afford to drop as many passes as he did in his rookie season. He was a surprisingly good blocker this season, and his route running was as good as advertised. Taylor will always be limited by his size, but he can be an effective player in this league, assuming he can solve his drop issues."

Not surprisingly, the biggest issue setting Taylor back was his drops.

A year after leading all of college football with 1,803 receiving yards in 2016, Taylor took a bit of a step back his rookie season, dropping a total of three passes on 44 targets — a drop rate of 8.57 percent, per Pro Football Focus, which was eighth most among qualifiers.

While this is a small concern, there are plenty of reasons to believe 2018 will be much better.

The Role of a Slot Receiver

B/R’s breakdown highlights just how important slot receivers are in today’s NFL:

"Route concepts for slot receivers are multifaceted. They run many in which they coordinate with the quarterback on the fly based on the response of the defender. In two-slot formations out of four-receiver sets, you’ll see inside crossers and switch releases—schemes in order to create confusion for defenders who aren’t used to dealing with such things inside the numbers.The role is crucial to NFL offenses as the game becomes both more diversified in formations and play-calling, and more matchup-based, where quarterbacks scan the field looking for ideal mismatches rather than predetermined sets of reads."

CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 03: Trent Taylor #81 of the San Francisco 49ers completes the pass for a first down in the third quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 03: Trent Taylor #81 of the San Francisco 49ers completes the pass for a first down in the third quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Route trees are typically more complex out of the slot than outside-receiving positions. And they’re intended to take advantage of various mismatches on defense, or finding specific holes in zone coverage if they present themselves.

It’s also common to see these shifty receivers run pick plays out of the slot, either intending to get open within man coverage or to throw off a defense in zone.

Either way, Taylor’s ability to thrive in this approach is going to be something to watch.

What to Expect from Trent Taylor in 2018

Over-the-middle routes have become something of a trend between Garoppolo and Taylor.

Just check out the splits from early December (h/t Raymond Summerlin of Rotoworld.com):

This is one of the reasons why Taylor became such a favorite target, particularly on third down when opponents’ pass-rushing units took the field. Those opened up areas on the middle of the field, allowing Garoppolo to find his target.

As far as the drops are concerned, there’s reason for hope there too.

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Remember, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense is one of the more complex in the NFL. It’s not uncommon to see first-year receivers struggle on concentration and route-running in the most simple of systems.

Add that to a difficult one to master, and looking beyond Taylor’s drops make sense.

A full year’s experience should play into Taylor’s hands nicely in 2018 — both figuratively and literally.

Next: 5 49ers in line for a breakout year in 2018

With that, San Francisco fans should be treated to some promising production this upcoming season.