No. 3: Wide Receiver Jalen Hurd Has an Edge to Him
Whether or not it’s good rookie wide receiver Jalen Hurd is getting under the defense’s skin right away is up for debate.
According to Kyle Shanahan, the two fights Hurd got into on Monday were a good thing.
“We want him to be physical, we want him to irritate the heck out of every player in that secondary and I hope he pisses people off,” Shanahan told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch. “I hope a lot of guys throw punches at him, and that’s what happened. …
“He’s going to piss a lot of people off and I hope a lot of people take shots at him and I hope he sits there with his helmet on and smiles at them and waves to them as they get ejected and gets us a free 15-yards.”
Others, like Solomon Thomas (h/t KNBR 680’s Jake Hutchinson), don’t feel quite the same:
Solomon Thomas on two scuffles in #49ers practice today: “We’re here to play football, we’re not here to fight.” pic.twitter.com/2ld2EWreS0
— Jake Hutchinson (@hutchdiesel) July 28, 2019
Hurd’s blocking skills are definitely a bonus, although he’ll have to budget when he decides to retaliate, if at all.
And it might help if he continues working on his on-field pass-catching abilities, too.