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San Francisco 49ers: Top 4 position battles to watch in OTAs

By Jeremy Wohlfart

SANTA CLARA, CA - JULY 30: Ronald Johnson #88 of the San Francisco 49ers catches a pass over Tramaine Brock #26 during practice at the San Francisco 49ers training facility on July 30, 2011 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - JULY 30: Ronald Johnson #88 of the San Francisco 49ers catches a pass over Tramaine Brock #26 during practice at the San Francisco 49ers training facility on July 30, 2011 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: Marquise Goodwin #11 of the San Francisco 49ers makes a 55-yard catch against the Arizona Cardinals during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: Marquise Goodwin #11 of the San Francisco 49ers makes a 55-yard catch against the Arizona Cardinals during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Wide Receiver

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It’s rather crowded in the 49ers depth chart, isn’t it?

You have Pierre Garcon returning from injury to a passing offense much better than he had left it, Marquise Goodwin with some insane chemistry with Jimmy Garoppolo, Trent Taylor becoming a consistently clutch player on third down, some players who found their way on the field in Aldrick Robinson and the aforementioned Kendrick Bourne.

And then, you have two rookies to cram in somewhere?

This is going to be a tough battle.

Draftee watch

Like at corner, the 49ers have two rookies to add to this positional group.

Enter Dante Pettis and Richie James.

Pettis will be given every chance to integrate himself into the offense, given the 49ers obviously coveted him trading up to take him in the second round. He has some great route-running skills and blazing athleticism, so the 49ers can move him around the field as they see fit.

He may not start, but Pettis will almost definitely see offensive snaps as a rookie.

James is a bit more interesting. I wrote before that James is a sort of Swiss Army knife you can put in as a runner, receiver or even Wildcat quarterback. His versatility is his best trait in these OTAs, and the 49ers have a few plays they could pull out to make use of his abilities.

Keep an eye on

James.

While Pettis will get the most media attention due to his college production, James will be facing an uphill battle all the way. He already received some positive attention at the rookie minicamp for his play and aggressiveness, and he’ll need a lot of that in these future battles.

Fight hard, and James may yet shock everyone and join Pettis in fighting for first-team snaps.