49ers: 3 players who benefit from Jalen Hurd injury

49ers receiver Jalen Hurd is set to miss his second straight season due to injury. Niner Noise takes a look at three players who could benefit from Hurd’s absence.

For the second season in a row, the San Francisco 49ers received bad news about wideout Jalen Hurd, who has yet to suit up for the team since being drafted in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Hurd, who played three collegiate seasons at Tennessee before transferring to Baylor for his senior season, tore his ACL in training camp on Sunday.

Hurd was looked at as a versatile piece at head coach Kyle Shanahan’s disposal for this coming season, having played both running back and wide receiver in college, with the size to feature as a move tight end of sorts, too.

But 2020 will be yet another lost season for Hurd, with the beginning of the 2021 season also in question given the timing of the injury.

This doesn’t mean there can’t be a bright side to the loss of Hurd for this coming season, though, as there are other players on the 49ers roster who can either step into Hurd’s place or rise up the depth chart because there are fewer guys fighting for roster spots.

For the record, this could be helpful for players across the current roster in terms of making the 53-man group, but the focus here will be on guys who are directly impacted by the loss of Hurd for the entirety of the 2020 season.

That means the guys on the roster bubble in the larger sense won’t be included here, but it doesn’t mean the dominoes won’t help players across the board.

Especially these three players.