49ers roster: Trent Sherfield is making most of training camp chances

With training camp underway, new 49ers receiver Trent Sherfield is making the most of his opportunity and is on track to play himself onto the roster.

Every NFL season, certain players shine in training camp and earn themselves new opportunities.

With the possible exception of the Trey Lance hype train, perhaps no player on the San Francisco 49ers offseason roster is making more of their training camp chances or grabbing more fan attention than wide receiver Trent Sherfield.

Sherfield is a new addition to the Niners who was previously a member of the Arizona Cardinals. So far in his NFL career, he has been seen mainly as a special-teams player. But Sherfield has been making a case not only to be on the field on special teams but with the offense as well.

Many fans likely saw rookie quarterback Trey Lance’s bomb the 49ers tweeted earlier from camp:

What may have gone unnoticed was who was on the receiving end of that perfect pass: Sherfield.

Sherfield has been consistently targeted by both Lance and presumed starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. And just this week, Sherfield impressed with a touchdown grab from both Garoppolo and another deep ball from Lance as well.

Clearly, the wide receiver is more than a one-deep ball wonder.

Sherfield’s strong camp performance so far led my colleague Peter Panacy to rank him as the 49ers’ No. 3 receiver, above big-name Mohamed Sanu and second-year pro Jauan Jennings.

The Niners’ wide receiver room has been pointed out as one of the team’s larger weaknesses, due to its lack of depth behind the budding stars of Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, and Sherfield emerging as a legitimate receiving option is great news for the team.

And Sherfield’s success in camp is no accident. The new 49er has dedicated himself to making the most of his training camp opportunity. He is consistently one of the first players to arrive and the last to leave, impressing his teammates and coaches with both his work ethic and his performance so far in camp.

Sherfield clearly came into camp with the intent of making the most of his opportunity, and he has certainly done so so far. It will be fun to watch if Sherfield continues to impress throughout the end of training camp and the preseason, and hopefully during the regular season as well.