Predicting 49ers 2019 wide receiver depth chart early in preseason

The San Francisco 49ers have experienced some splashes and setbacks at wide receiver early this preseason, prompting a new prediction on the 2019 depth chart.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was hopeful, if not overly enthusiastic about his wide receivers’ performances during his team’s 17-9 preseason victory over the Dallas Cowboys last Saturday.

“We have a bunch of young guys who are extremely hungry, and they are going for it,” Shanahan told reporters on a Sunday conference call (h/t 49ers Webzone). “We’ve got some other guys who have been here who have also been that way, but I think guys are very evenly matched right now, and I want someone to step it up.”

San Francisco netted 256 receiving yards during the contest, and seven wide receivers managed to catch passes throughout the game.

“The rookies, they made some good plays last night, but they also weren’t very consistent either,” he continued. “There’s lots of parts about their game that they have to clean up, and I thought it was very similar in the veterans, too. You expect the veterans to be out there, making some plays like they did a few times, but they also made mistakes.”

Of course, this could be little more than coachspeak. It’s that time of year where competition within the team is more important than competing against an opponent, and Shanahan is wise to be more focused on lighting a proverbial “fire” underneath some of the wideouts he deems as highly important for the 49ers’ regular-season chances.

While all that is true, the Niners aren’t exactly in the best of scenarios heading into Week 2 of the preseason.

Third-year slot receiver Trent Taylor suffered a Jones fracture in his foot, which will keep him sidelined between four and six weeks. This opens up the door for competition deeper down the depth chart, but it’s not ideal to kick off the year with a prime receiving candidate being shelved early on.

There’s also the preseason narrative itself. Shanahan isn’t opening up his playbook at all yet, meaning what you’re seeing is a watered-down version of what San Francisco’s offense could look like once Week 1 hits.

Either way, it’s worth making another prediction on how the 49ers wide receiver depth chart ends up being formulated this season. Let’s take a look.