San Francisco 49ers: 2020 offseason needs primer
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Wide Receiver
There are easily more questions at wide receiver for San Francisco than at running back.
The biggest, of course, is whether or not the 49ers elect to re-sign Emmanuel Sanders who, at 32 years old, is probably in line to cash in on his final big-number contract for his NFL career. Can the 49ers afford to pay up for his services? Probably not, yet there’s little questioning the kind of impact he provided to the Niners pass game after coming over midseason.
About the only other guarantee at the position is the 2019 rookie, Deebo Samuel, being a legit force heading into his second season.
Negotiating a new deal with Kendrick Bourne, a restricted free agent, is likely on the Niners’ to-do list. Bourne has become quite the red-zone threat, finishing tied for the team lead with five receiving touchdowns last season.
Bourne, Samuel and Sanders were the trio of receivers Kyle Shanahan trusted the most. With Sanders potentially gone, one has to wonder if Shanahan will look to third-year pro Dante Pettis to reemerge from the head coach’s proverbial “doghouse.”
Perhaps, but that’s a question mark.
And the same goes for slot receiver Trent Taylor who, despite a solid connection with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the latter half of 2017, has missed nearly two seasons with injury. The same could be argued for the 2019 rookie, Jalen Hurd, who has yet to play a snap at the pro level after suffering a back injury at the end of the preseason.
Aside from a hopeful team-friendly deal with Sanders, free agency likely isn’t the route the 49ers take to reinforce or shake up this position.
But the NFL Draft? Well, this year’s class is argued to be one of the deepest at the position in decades.
Even though the Niners are lacking for picks on days one and two of the draft, expect Shanahan to dip into this deep pool with one of the team’s day-three selections.