49ers roster: 3 thinnest positions entering 2021 season
By Peter Panacy
49ers Thin Position No. 3: Wide Receiver
San Francisco shouldn’t have to worry too much about its top two options at wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, aside from keeping both players healthy and finally deploying them together for the majority of 2021 — something injuries and other setbacks prevented the team from enjoying last year.
Behind them, though, the depth is questionable at best.
Yes, there are a lot of players vying for spot Nos. 3 through 6 on the depth chart: Mohamed Sanu, Jauan Jennings, Richie James, Trent Sherfield, River Cracraft, Travis Benjamin, Kevin White and others.
But trying to figure out who rounds out the depth chart? That’s a noticeably bigger challenge.
Right now, Jennings and Sanu appear to be the favorite for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. Yet Jennings was a practice squad addition a year ago, while Sanu has bounced around the league the last two seasons and certainly shouldn’t be viewed as a long-term option.
And the bulk of options after those two probably wouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a fifth- or sixth-tier wideout on most playoff-hopeful NFL rosters elsewhere.
The simple hope here, of course, is for the 49ers to enjoy a clean slate of health, letting Aiyuk and Samuel get the bulk of targets, while anyone else merely winds up being a complementary piece.
If attrition starts to hit, though, the Niners could be in trouble here.