Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: 5 biggest disappointments from 2018 season

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 30: Reuben Foster #56 of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines during their preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi's Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 30: Reuben Foster #56 of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines during their preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi's Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 28: Linebacker Josh Bynes #57 of the Arizona Cardinals breaks up a pass intended for wide receiver Trent Taylor #81 of the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 28: Linebacker Josh Bynes #57 of the Arizona Cardinals breaks up a pass intended for wide receiver Trent Taylor #81 of the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Wide Receiver Trent Taylor

A number of second-year players regressed this season. Case in point, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon looked awfully bad , then finished on a strong four-week note before landing on injured reserve to close out the year.

Yet one player who hasn’t bounced back after a rough start to the season is second-year slot receiver Trent Taylor.

All you need to do is look at the side-by-side stats to see the massive drop off:

Trent Taylor Receiving Table
Game Game Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD Lng R/G Y/G Ctch% Fmb
2017 23 SFO wr 81 15 1 60 43 430 10.0 2 33 2.9 28.7 71.7% 1
2018 24 SFO 81 13 0 37 23 198 8.6 1 23 1.8 15.2 62.2% 1
Care Care 28 1 97 66 628 9.5 3 33 2.4 22.4 2

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/26/2018.

A year ago, Taylor was tied for ninth in the NFL for third-down receptions for a first down (19), which was also tied for best among rookies with the Rams’ Cooper Kupp.

This year, he has only four such catches.

Like Weston Richburg, Taylor has been dealing with a season-long injury. An offseason back procedure could likely be a big reason why Taylor hasn’t performed anywhere near the level fans saw his rookie season.

With the Niners ranking 18th in third-down conversion percentage this year (38.5 percent), one only wishes Taylor took a leap forward instead of regressing the opposite direction.