San Francisco 49ers: 5 options for No. 3 wide receiver in 2020
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers have a lot of question marks amid their wide receiver corps entering 2020, although there are a number of options from which to choose.
As of now, the San Francisco 49ers have only one truly proven option at wide receiver heading into 2020: second-year pro Deebo Samuel.
Fellow wideout Kendrick Bourne is a strong option, yes, as the Niners tendered the restricted free agent earlier. Unless another team wants to give up considerable NFL Draft compensation to pry Bourne away from San Francisco’s second-round tender, he’ll likely be donning the red and gold this upcoming season.
Bourne is an excellent red-zone weapon and has quietly emerged as a notable contributor for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Samuel, meanwhile, is a budding star.
Behind those two, however, the 49ers’ situation is far less certain. Third-year pro Dante Pettis was supposed to be a key player. But following a 2019 campaign to forget, Pettis’ future is anything but certain. The same could be said of the veteran, Marquise Goodwin, who is still a possible trade or cut candidate between now and training camp.
And for those hoping 2019 rookie wideout Jalen Hurd makes a substantial impact this upcoming season, it’s important to note the former college running back has yet to play a regular-season down at the NFL level.
With the 2020 NFL Draft just around the corner, it would be shocking if the Niners don’t use one of their two first-round picks on targeting a receiver, especially in such a talented class. So, when it comes to figuring out who backs up the tandem of Bourne and Samuel, here are five options for Shanahan for that No. 3 spot on the depth chart.