49ers roster 2021: Bubble watch ahead of preseason Week 1
By Peter Panacy
49ers Bubble Watch: Wide Receiver
Lock: Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Mohamed Sanu, Trent Sherfield
Strong Bubble: Travis Benjamin, Jauan Jennings
Weak Bubble: River Cracraft, Jalen Hurd, Richie James, Nsimba Webster
Long Shot: Austin Watkins
Aside from the quarterback competition, there has been no other position battle during training camp as intriguing as at wide receiver.
San Francisco’s top two spots are set with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. The No. 3 spot on the depth chart was wide open, though, although all indications are it’s going to either Trent Sherfield or Mohamed Sanu, and both are clearly going to make the 53-man roster anyway.
Assuming the 49ers keep six wideouts, that would leave two more spots up for grabs.
Second-year pro Jauan Jennings has also impressed. And while he might not be a lock, necessarily, it’s looking good he’ll hang around into the regular season.
Richie James, however, has been plagued by drops during camp. True, James’ prowess as a return specialist might help. But serving in that role alone won’t guarantee him a spot at all.
Meanwhile, injury setbacks have continued to hinder Jalen Hurd’s impact, and Kyle Shanahan effectively called the 2019 third-round pick out earlier in camp. While Hurd has seen some practice field time, it’s not looking too good for him at this point.
The undrafted rookie, Austin Watkins, appears to be a safe bet for the practice squad.