49ers training camp: 5 biggest battles to watch in 2021
By Peter Panacy
49ers training camp battle No. 2: Tertiary wide receiver
San Francisco is set with its starting two wide receivers, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. And that’s fine.
The real camp competition picks up behind them, where 11 other wideouts are essentially battling for one of perhaps four backup spots on the regular-season roster.
Chief among these bouts will be the fight for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart, a position left open in the wake of wide receiver Kendrick Bourne departing in free agency during the offseason.
It’s a pretty open-ended competition, too.
One of the early risers during OTAs was second-year pro Jauan Jennings, who looked vastly improved over the shaky and inconsistent rookie season he had in 2020 that ultimately landed him on the practice squad.
Related Story: Jauan Jennings an early favorite to earn 49ers’ No. 3 WR role
Yet Jennings was challenged by the experienced veteran, Mohamed Sanu, although both players could end up serving as big-slot options, something Kyle Shanahan has deployed in the past.
There’s still a chance wide receiver Richie James carves out this role for himself, as he’s been offensively productive during his limited opportunities the last two years.
Either way, the 49ers will want to make it a priority in identifying who should get named into this void.