Power ranking 49ers wide receivers ahead of Week 1
By Peter Panacy
49ers 2021 wide receiver power rankings: Candidates for No. 3 wideout
. Trent Sherfield. 3. player. 42. .
The fact the No. 3 player on our pre-2021 wide receiver power rankings for San Francisco is Trent Sherfield, a fourth-year pro with only 28 career receptions and 340 receiving yards tells you what you need to know about the question marks facing the team’s depth here.
On the positive side, though, Sherfield has been awfully active catching passes from both quarterbacks, Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, and that rapport could go a long way towards him securing the tertiary spot on the depth chart.
Boasting a solid reputation as a special teams gunner increases Sherfield’s stock value, too.
. Mohamed Sanu. 4. player. 42. .
During organized team activities earlier this spring, veteran wideout Mohamed Sanu was looking to be the clear-cut favorite to earn the No. 3 wide receiver designation.
Sherfield probably overtook Sanu on the depth chart, at least over the first week of camp. But it’s possible Kyle Shanahan prefers to go with experience over up-and-coming promise, particularly knowing Shanahan used Sanu as a big-slot receiver during their time together with the Atlanta Falcons in 2016.
Read More: Ranking 49ers’ 3 best candidates for No. 3 wide receiver
Despite having a proverbial cup of coffee with the 49ers last year, there’s a good chance Sanu hangs around into the regular season as a much-needed veteran presence.
. . . Jauan Jennings. 5. player. 42
Sanu and second-year pro Jauan Jennings were separating themselves for the No. 3 job during OTAs.
And while Jennings hasn’t necessarily flashed a lot of big plays during training camp, he has seen a good deal of time working with the first-string unit, particularly on maintenance days for Deebo Samuel.
After spending his rookie season on the practice squad, perhaps 2021 winds up being the time when Jennings breaks out as a tough-to-tackle weapon.