San Francisco 49ers: A reminder just how good Trent Taylor can be

After making some notable impressions his rookie season, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Trent Taylor regressed in 2018. Don’t expect that to continue in 2019, though.

Like many other San Francisco 49ers second-year pros in 2018, wide receiver Trent Taylor went through a serious regression and looked hardly like the player who impressed so much his rookie year.

Taylor’s numbers last season took a massive hit, likely due to the fluctuation the Niners had at quarterback, along with a nagging back injury the slot receiver was dealing with for most of the year.

And it’s not hard to see the vast change in Taylor’s statistics:

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/17/2019.

The regression prompted some to think Taylor was a mere “flash in the pan,” and his falloff could open the door for 2018 rookie wideout Richie James to assume Taylor’s spot on the depth chart entering 2019.

Perhaps. James is faster and arguably more explosive.

But one has to recall Taylor’s ability to contribute on the field simply didn’t just go away. And his back injury was a likely culprit. At least according to head coach Kyle Shanahan, who told reporters the following:

"Trent is right back to where we expected him to be after his rookie year. He had a good rookie year, but we expected him to come back better. We still thought he needed to improve in a number of ways after his rookie year, and when he came back, he just came back hurt. That was tough, and he took a step back. We expect him to get back to his rookie year and we expect him to be better."

In 2017, Taylor hauled in 19 third-down receptions for a first down, which ranked ninth among all pass catchers that year and was tied for first among rookies along with the Los Angeles Rams’ Cooper Kupp.

Many of these catches came from the hands of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, whose absence last year in the wake of his ACL tear likely cut into Taylor’s production numbers, too.

There’s another X-factor in play here as well. During the offseason, the 49ers brought aboard former NFL slot receiver Wes Welker to handle receivers coaching duties. Welker, to whom Taylor is oft compared, should make an impact on the third-year receiver and was a topic of discussion between Niner Noise and KNBR 680’s Drew Hoffar last week:

Fully recovered, and now under Welker’s tutelage, there are few reasons to assume Taylor reverts back to the 2018 form that was so disappointing.

What likely takes place is the third-year receiver showcases the same kind of third-down abilities he flashed his rookie season, perhaps emerging again as one of Garoppolo’s go-to targets in those crucial situations.

And if that’s all Taylor is on the field in 2019, fine.

Yet there are more than enough reasons to think he’ll be even more this upcoming season.