49ers training camp: 4 juiciest depth-chart battles to watch
By Peter Panacy
49ers juicy camp battle No. 3: Speed-threat wide receiver
The next spicy camp battle to watch isn’t going to determine a starter, yet it will reveal a vital part that’s been missing from head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense since San Francisco parted ways with speedy wide receiver Marquise Goodwin after 2018: a true deep threat.
Granted, the 49ers tried to get this out of wide receiver Travis Benjamin last year, but Benjamin failed to haul in a single pass, and it wasn’t as if quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was capable of taking advantage of deep-developing plays anyway.
That should change with strong-armed quarterback Trey Lance under center in 2022, though, meaning this element should be fully deployed.
The Niners have their first three wide receiver roles determined. All-Pro Deebo Samuel is the alpha, and he’ll be supported by Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings.
After that, though, things get pretty wide open, pun intended.
A number of receivers could potentially serve as this field-stretching threat. Offseason free-agent pickups like Marcus Johnson and Malik Turner both have speed in their respective skill sets, while San Francisco also saw former Pittsburgh Steelers return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud get behind the defense during offseason workouts thus far:
Trey Lance threw a perfect dime to Ray Ray McCloud III today at #49ers’ practice on a deep ball. The downfield passing attack has a chance to be dynamic. McCloud has been electrifying during these practices. His explosion at the catch point is impressive.
— Larry Krueger (@sportslarryk) June 8, 2022
One player to watch, though, is rookie wideout Danny Gray out of SMU, who despite questionable hands at the college level, still managed to boast a blazing-fast 4.33 40-yard time in his draft prep.
If that’s not spicy, it’s hard to tell what is.