SF 49ers: Power ranking each position after offseason roster cuts
By Peter Panacy
. Wide Receiver. 7. player. 42. .
No. 7: SF 49ers Wide Receiver
Brandon Aiyuk, Kendrick Bourne, Richie James, Dante Pettis, Deebo Samuel and Trent Taylor
Despite a flurry of transactions throughout training camp, the regular-season wide receiver depth chart panned out in a way many would have otherwise expected.
By most accounts, this is a good thing. The anticipation is for second-year pro Deebo Samuel to return healthy enough from an offseason foot fracture and pick up where he left off after amassing an impressive 802 receiving yards his rookie year. Almost by default, he’ll be San Francisco’s No. 1 option here.
The hope, at least by some point, is for the 49ers’ first-round rookie, Brandon Aiyuk, to join him as a starter. But Aiyuk was sidelined during the latter portion of camp with a hamstring injury, which might cut into his overall impact right away. Should that be the case, one might look at fourth-year pro Kendrick Bourne or the embattled Dante Pettis, who bounced back in camp after a forgettable 2019 campaign, to assume a starting role early on.
It’s a good thing slot receiver Trent Taylor returned back from a year-long injury absence in 2019. From all reports, his previous rapport with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was on point once more during training camp.
The veteran presence might not be there at this position, and there’s no one clear-cut WR1 on the depth chart, currently. But at least Kyle Shanahan has a flurry of qualified wideouts at his disposal to change things up well enough over the regular season.