SF 49ers: Post-2021 draft bubble watch for 53-man roster
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers bubble watch: Wide Receiver
Lock: Brandon Aiyuk, Richie James, Deebo Samuel
Strong bubble: Travis Benjamin, River Cracraft, Trent Sherfield
Weak bubble: Jalen Hurd, Jauan Jennings, Mohamed Sanu, Kevin White, Austin Watkins Jr.*
Long shot: Austin Proehl
Like San Francisco’s offensive line and tight ends, the starters are mostly set with the bulk of question marks coming in with regards to depth.
The SF 49ers must identify who’ll be the No. 3 option behind Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel in the wake of Kendrick Bourne leaving via free agency for the New England Patriots. The fact the Niners didn’t draft a wide receiver in 2021 is a good endorsement for players like Richie James and Trent Sherfield, with a potential outlier being the speedy veteran, Travis Benjamin, who opted out last year.
Related Story. Richie James could see an increased role in 2021. light
San Francisco also seems somewhat enamored with River Cracraft, too, who has one of the coolest names on the roster.
Another veteran, Mohamed Sanu, might merely be in camp to mentor a predominantly young crop of wideouts. If cut, the 49ers would only owe Sanu $25,000 in dead money, while players like Jauan Jennings and Jalen Hurd probably need to focus on staying healthy first before identifying any open path towards making the roster.
Even then, it might be too late for either of those final two to make the cut.