San Francisco 49ers: 5 players who will bounce back in 2019
No. 5: Wide Receiver Trent Taylor
For wide receiver Trent Taylor, the pressure is on.
In the last two years, the Niners have used three picks in the second and third rounds of the draft in wideouts Dante Pettis, Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd.
Let’s take a look at the breakdown from Taylor’s rookie season in the NFL to his sophomore year:
| Game | Game | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Tota | Tota | Tota | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Ctch% | Y/Tgt | Touch | Y/Tch | YScm | RRTD | Fmb | AV |
| 2017 | 23 | SFO | wr | 81 | 15 | 1 | 60 | 43 | 430 | 10.0 | 2 | 33 | 2.9 | 28.7 | 71.7% | 7.2 | 43 | 10.0 | 430 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2018 | 24 | SFO | 81 | 14 | 0 | 41 | 26 | 215 | 8.3 | 1 | 23 | 1.9 | 15.4 | 63.4% | 5.2 | 26 | 8.3 | 215 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Care | Care | 29 | 1 | 101 | 69 | 645 | 9.3 | 3 | 33 | 2.4 | 22.2 | 68.3% | 6.4 | 69 | 9.3 | 645 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/12/2019.
Taylor had to undergo surgery on his back, which hampered his development in his second year, but has declared himself fit and ready to go in camp.
What gives Taylor the advantage however in camp will be his chemistry with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Exactly who Taylor will compete with most at slot will be intriguing, given how versatile a lot of the receivers are on the team. Samuel could definitely compete for time in the slot early on, and Jordan Matthews has spent time in the slot despite his tall (for a slot) 6-foot-3 frame.
Perhaps the most intriguing opponent is Richie James, who has some interesting potential as the potential returner for the Niners also.
Unlike these three, however, Taylor does have some chemistry with Garoppolo already. So I expect a healthy Taylor to be able to rebound and factor much more heavily into the 49ers offense.
Hopefully, his number change is the beginning of a more successful third season.