49ers roster: 5 players with most to gain in preseason vs. Chargers

No. 1: 49ers Wide Receiver Jauan Jennings

A year ago, it looked as if the 49ers’ seventh-round flier on wide receiver Jauan Jennings simply wasn’t going to pan out. With zero preseason and only training camp to go on, Jennings appeared sluggish and sloppy despite his physical prowess stemming from his time in college at Tennessee.

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What a difference a year makes.

Following his rookie season on the practice squad, Jennings has already looked like a vastly different player in 2021. While he was never the fastest collegiate receiver by any means, this year’s version seems to have improved in that facet. Jennings’ hands have been solid, too, and Kyle Shanahan didn’t hesitate to use him in a variety of ways and even called him out for his positive contributions against the Chiefs:

"I was excited with how Jauan played. I mean, he’s a physical guy who loves to play football and I wanted to see it transfer over to the game and make sure he could still stay under enough control and do his assignments also. And if you watched him in the running game, he really got after it trying to bring the maximum effort every play."

Jennings isn’t a starter. And he might not even emerge as the Niners’ primary big-slot option.

But the back end of San Francisco’s wide receiver depth chart is still awfully fluid, and Jennings should already be in consideration for a roster spot.

A strong game against the Chargers could help him climb that depth chart even higher, though.