49ers roster: Grading each position halfway through scuffling 2021 season
By Peter Panacy
49ers Wide Receivers
If it weren’t for the fact third-year wide receiver Deebo Samuel currently ranks second in the entire NFL with 882 receiving yards, second only to the Rams’ Cooper Kupp (1,019), the 49ers’ wide receiver room would be almost a complete joke this season.
Much of that falls upon the odd storylines associated with second-year pro Brandon Aiyuk, who was expected to break out this year after an impressive rookie season but wasn’t afforded the chance to get going until Week 8 against the Bears.
Over the last two games, Aiyuk has a total of 134 receiving yards on 10 catches and a touchdown, suggesting he’s finally out of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse. Now, with 19 receptions, 230 receiving yards and two touchdowns on the year, the only hope is Aiyuk looks much more like the recent version instead of what happened between Weeks 1 through 7.
After that, though, the Niners’ wide receiver room is awfully bleak.
32-year-old veteran wideout Mohamed Sanu, who only managed to stick around for a brief cup of coffee with the team a year ago, is third on the depth chart with 15 receptions for 177 yards. The remaining cast of San Francisco wide receivers have offered scant production.
Like so many other positions on the roster, the 49ers are being bit by not adequately reinforcing the depth, and it’s showing up in a painful fashion right here, too.