49ers 53-man roster prediction with mandatory minicamp in the books
By Peter Panacy
Wide receiver (6)
Brandon Aiyuk, Ronnie Bell, Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel Sr., Jacob Cowing*, Ricky Pearsall*
The first half of the Niners' wide receiver room is set entering 2024, consisting of Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk, the latter who is still holding out from offseason workouts amid a contract extension dispute.
Aiyuk is still under contract, though. So, even if San Francisco doesn't come to terms with him on a new deal, he'll be rostered and should eventually show up. And the 49ers won't consider trading him or Samuel by the November deadline unless the regular season ends up in the tank early.
After that, things get much more competitive.
Ricky Pearsall, the Niners' top pick from last April, wowed during workouts and is all but guaranteed a spot, while Jacob Cowing should be able to land a spot as a fourth-round draftee.
As for the last spot? Well, it's complicated.
The nod goes to second-year pro Ronnie Bell, who flashed some modest moments his rookie season but will have to beat out names like Trent Taylor, Tay Martin, Chris Conley and Terique Owens to stand a chance.