Niner Noise takes a look at the San Francisco 49ers’ situation at wide receiver this 2018 offseason and breaks down all you’ll need to know ahead of training camp.
The San Francisco 49ers began organized team activities (OTAs) this week and will have a number of minicamps before 2018 training camp kicks off later this summer.
Each positional unit will boast its share of competition battles, yet the wide receiver group figures to be one of the more prominent storylines fans will want to watch.
The Niners carried over a number of breakout receivers from 2017, namely veteran wideout Marquise Goodwin and then-rookie slot receiver Trent Taylor. Along with fellow veteran Pierre Garçon, San Francisco appeared to have a relatively solid crop heading into 2018.
Especially with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm.
Yet San Francisco added two more wide receivers in the 2018 NFL Draft, Washington’s Dante Pettis and MTSU’s Richie James.
These two will be in hot competition for starting jobs this season. Amid a cast of others not named above, wide receiver figures to be a pretty hot battle throughout the remainder of the offseason.
Let’s break this position down, shall we?
Wide Receivers on the 49ers Roster
San Francisco is currently carrying 11 receivers on its 90-man offseason roster:
San Francisco 49ers
- Steven Dunbar*
- Richie James*
- Dante Pettis*
- Aldrick Robinson
- Max McCaffrey
- Trent Taylor
- Marquise Goodwin
- Aaron Burbridge
- Kendrick Bourne
- Victor Bolden Jr.
- Pierre Garçon
* denotes rookie
NFL teams rarely carry more than six wide receivers on a regular-season 53-man roster, and the lower ones on a depth chart often have to display special teams abilities.
Both James and Pettis — returners at the collegiate level — have done so, meaning their chances will likely increase. Particularly Pettis, who was San Francisco’s second-round draft pick.
49ers Rookie Wide Receiver Spotlight
San Francisco will give every chance to Dante Pettis to crack the 53-man roster this season. Whether or not he starts is anyone’s guess. But Pettis was arguably the best route-runner in college football last year, which is assuredly one of the main reasons head coach Kyle Shanahan tabbed him.
But don’t sleep on Richie James, who was one of the bigger standouts at rookie minicamp this offseason.
Dante Pettis
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Pettis will need to add some bulk to his frame to compete well enough at the NFL level. Even with his superb route-running abilities, bigger pro-level cornerbacks will easily bump him off his routes at the snap, which could cause problems.
If he can overcome this, though, he should be a seamless fit in Shanahan’s offense.
| Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Scri | Scri | Scri | Scri | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2014 | Washington | Pac-12 | FR | WR | 13 | 17 | 259 | 15.2 | 1 | 17 | 259 | 15.2 | 1 |
| *2015 | Washington | Pac-12 | SO | WR | 13 | 30 | 414 | 13.8 | 1 | 31 | 406 | 13.1 | 1 |
| *2016 | Washington | Pac-12 | JR | WR | 13 | 53 | 822 | 15.5 | 15 | 53 | 822 | 15.5 | 15 |
| *2017 | Washington | Pac-12 | SR | WR | 13 | 63 | 761 | 12.1 | 7 | 66 | 811 | 12.3 | 7 |
| Career | Washington | 163 | 2256 | 13.8 | 24 | 167 | 2298 | 13.8 | 24 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/23/2018.
Some may view Pettis as a slot-only receiver. Yet Shanahan’s offense isn’t traditional in that sense. Receivers run picks and crossing routes all the time, changing roles and operating in a system that stresses getting open. Not winning the 50-50 battles.
Here is where Pettis could thrive.
Richie James
James, a small-school player out of Middle Tennessee State, is in immediate competition for a slot role alongside Trent Taylor.
At 5-foot-9 and 176 pounds, James is a prototypical slot. Although one has to remember the same notion applies to Shanahan’s offense.
Injuries held James to just five games last season, which is likely the reason he fell to Round 7. But the year before, he posted a whopping 1,625 receiving yards and 12 touchdown grabs. Certainly that kind of production is what drew the 49ers to James late in the draft.
Steven Dunbar
Former Houston wide receiver Steven Dunbar doesn’t have the speed most of his counterparts do. But he does have size — a 6-foot-3, 202-pound frame, to be precise.
The 49ers ranked 27th in red-zone touchdown efficiency last season. While those one-on-one threats aren’t exactly what Shanahan touts, it’s useful to have big-bodied targets within opponents’ 25-yard lines.
Perhaps this is why San Francisco grabbed Dunbar, an undrafted free agent, after he posted 1,070 receiving yards his senior year.
Wide Receiver with the Most to Prove
It’s easy to say most of the fringe wide receivers have a lot to prove this offseason. Anyone but Pierre Garçon, Marquise Goodwin, Trent Taylor and Dante Pettis aren’t exactly locks to make the 53-man roster.
But there’s a notable one-year veteran somewhat on the fringes too — wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.
General manager John Lynch already gave Bourne an endorsement earlier this offseason, according to 49ers.com’s Joe Fann:
John Lynch on #49ers WR Kendrick Bourne:
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) April 23, 2018
"We believe he's going to be a big part of our future at that position."
That’s good. But it’s no guarantee Bourne cracks the roster.
Last year, Bourne had his moments, including a nice 54-yard grab against the Tennessee Titans last year in Week 15.
Overall, though, Bourne had just 16 receptions for 257 yards. That’s solid production from a rookie undrafted free agent. But he’ll be pressed by 2018 rookies Pettis and James, who’ll look to lock down one of only a few precious roster spots this season.
To ensure a spot, Bourne will have to be on par with these two at soundly beat out the remaining competition.
Of which there’s a good amount.
49ers Wide Receiver to Watch in 2018
You could argue every Niners wide receiver is a player to watch this season with Jimmy Garoppolo under center.
But the one to pick here is Pierre Garçon.
Why? Well, consider this. Garçon had exactly 500 receiving yards halfway through the season a year ago — before his Week 8 neck injury that landed him on injured reserve.
Those numbers came, not from Garoppolo, but from underperforming quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and C.J. Beathard. And while Garçon’s physicality could help bail out these former starters, one can only imagine what an accurate quarterback like Garoppolo could do with Garçon at his disposal.
It's crazy to think that Pierre Garçon signed with the 49ers when the team had zero quarterbacks on the roster. Now he's gonna return from injury and catch passes from Jimmy Garoppolo.#TrustTheProcess
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) March 1, 2018
Sure, Garçon will turn 32 years old this season and is likely heading towards the final years of his pro career.
But that shouldn’t prevent fans from imagining a big-time connection between these two players in 2018.
49ers Wide Receiver Roster Predictions and Depth Chart
A couple of rookie wideouts have the ability to contribute on special teams, making our 2018 roster predictions a bit easier.
Let’s go with six receivers to kick off San Francisco’s 53-man roster:
- Pierre Garçon
- Marquise Goodwin
- Trent Taylor
- Dante Pettis
- Kendrick Bourne
- Richie James
Keep in mind, Kyle Shanahan doesn’t operate your traditional WR1, WR2, slot, WR4 offensive system. So don’t read too much into the specific order. Each receiver will have his share of touches.
Some of the individual camp battles to watch, though, will likely feature Richie James versus Trent Taylor, Pierre Garçon versus Kendrick Bourne and Dante Pettis versus Marquise Goodwin.
Or any combination thereof.
Next: Ranking each 49ers position by strength in 2018
Either way, San Francisco’s receiving corps looks to be the site of a pretty good offseason competition leading up to Week 1.