49ers roster predictions: Who’s in, out at wide receiver in 2021?
By Peter Panacy
Out: 49ers WRs Austin Watkins and River Cracraft
Fans are likely to remember depth wide receiver River Cracraft calling for a fair catch on a punt return late in 2020 a year ago. And that’ll certainly overshadow the fact he had six receptions (a career-high for him) for 41 yards last season.
Aside from having a cool name that’ll certainly make fans hum songs about rivers, Cracraft is essentially another one of those roster additions to round out the depth chart during the offseason.
It’s likely he’ll see some time late in preseason games with a potential uptick in snaps during Week 3 of the exhibition period. Nothing more.
One can be a bit more hopeful for former UAB wide receiver Austin Watkins, one of only a handful of undrafted free agents San Francisco grabbed following this year’s NFL Draft and the only rookie wideout to join the roster this offseason.
At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Watkins has some physical upsides, but there weren’t exactly a lot of glowing reviews about him during OTAs.
It’s probable the 49ers aren’t featuring much of Watkins at all so they can keep him as a stash piece on the practice squad, potentially developing him in a way not unlike what’s currently happening with Jauan Jennings this year.