3 players 49ers should watch from CFL’s Roughriders

No. 1: The 49ers have a revolving door when it comes to kick returners, and Marcus Murphy could certainly be the door stopper with his return abilities

Special teams are never appreciated until something bad happens. For the casual fan, they probably don’t know who their favourite team’s long-snapper is, or kicker, and most definitely don’t know who the kick returner is.

But for the 49ers, it seems like you only know the returners because it’s the same story every year. Which player will step up to actually change the field position? Which returner will actually pay attention to what’s around them and make the smart decision?

Roughriders kick returner Marcus Murphy would certainly answer all those questions. Plus, he has NFL experience. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 2015 NFL Draft, then spent time with the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers.

In his first three games in the CFL, he has 195 total return yards on 14 returns. As he gets more accustomed to the CFL return rules, we should see his average move from just under nine yards per punt return to over 10.

He’s got explosive speed, great vision, and phenomenal route running. You can see it in his one NFL touchdown here:

If he can keep up his pace in the CFL, there shouldn’t be any reason for the 49ers to take a good, hard look Murphy’s way. They need someone who can flip the field on kick/punt returns. This is the man to do it.

As mentioned earlier, if you haven’t watched the Saskatchewan Roughriders play football yet, turn on ESPN this weekend. It’ll be some of the craziest football on and off the field you’ll ever see.