To say that the San Francisco 49ers are thin at the wide receiver position would be a bit of an understatement.
Not only are they missing Brandon Aiyuk, who is on the PUP as he continues to rehab his ACL/MCL injury suffered last season, but Jacob Cowing has a hamstring injury, and Jauan Jennings is now nursing a calf injury as he looks for a new contract.
It's why journeyman like Equanimeous St. Brown and Quintez Cephus have been signed in the last few days, although the latter has already been released to make room for Eli Apple, who is coming in to fill a hole at cornerback, another position that feels paper-thin in San Francisco.
And although 2024 first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall is back and making noise in camp, he does have a history of nagging injuries himself the Niners will need to keep an eye on.
All that to say, there are opportunities for players on the fringes of the wide receiver depth chart to step up and force their way onto the 53-man roster when training camp is over. Some of the names are obvious, such as newly drafted Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen, but the name that many are drawn to is undrafted free agent Isaiah Neyor.
The 49ers signed Neyor as a undrafted free agent out of Nebraska, but the 6-foot-4 receiver also played at Wyoming and, very briefly, at Texas, during his college career. His best season came in 2021 with the Cowboys where he caught 44 balls for 878 yards (20 ypc) and 12 touchdowns.
Neyor tore his ACL after transferring to Texas the following year and had a solid but unspectacular season at Nebraska, pulling down 34 catches for 455 yards and five touchdowns for a Cornhuskers offense that is famously run-heavy.
The lack of consistent production allowed him to come to the Niners, and he is not going to be lacking reps during training camp. He's built like a prototypical receiver and ran a 4.40 40 at the NFL Combine leading up to the draft.
If he can produce throughout training camp, the 49ers may be forced to keep him around or else risk losing him to another team via the waiver process.
Given all the injuries at the position, there will plenty of chances for Neyor to show his worth.