Terique Owens is a cool story (but probably won't make 49ers' 53-man roster)

Son of Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, Terique Owens is a legacy player who'd be awesome to see in a 49ers uniform but has little chance of doing so.

The 2024 NFL Draft provided plenty of legacy players with direct ties to the San Francisco 49ers.

USC wide receiver Brendan Rice, son of Hall of Fame great Jerry Rice, ultimately went to the Los Angeles Chargers, while Rice (the college) wide receiver Luke McCaffrey wasn't able to join his brother, Niners All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, after being drafted by the Washington Commanders.

Legendary running back Frank Gore's son, running back Frank Gore Jr., signed on with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent.

Then, there is Missouri State wide receiver Terique Owens, whom San Francisco made part of its 2024 undrafted free-agent class following the draft.

Son of the 49ers Hall of Fame legend Terrell Owens, Terique Owens transferred from Florida Atlantic and proceeded to post 46 catches for 765 yards and four touchdowns over the course of three seasons post transfer.

The numbers don't exactly pop, but the pedigree does. And the 6-foot-2, 199-pound rookie would certainly fulfill a father's dream by somehow making the Niners' 53-man roster.

But it's a difficult proposition.

Terique Owens faces massive uphill climb to make 49ers' 53-man roster

San Francisco's wide receiver room is crowded entering training camp. Already, the 49ers appear to boast a top-five crop that consists of Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and two other rookies, both of whom were drafted, Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.

Assuming the Niners keep a max of six receivers on the 53-man roster, Owens will be in hot competition with the likes of Ronnie Bell, Danny Gray, Chris Conley, Trent Taylor and Tay Martin.

Getting some assistance from his father will help. But it's not hard to see why the younger Owens faces long odds at surviving into the regular season.

Especially since he's not known for being a contributor on special teams.

What might be best for the rookie wideout is to do enough to hang around, perhaps on the practice squad, waiting for San Francisco's receiver room to clear itself out after this year, which would open up a potentially better opportunity in 2025 where he'd likely stand to make a bigger mark.

Until then, it'll still be cool to watch Owens don a 49ers uniform in preseason games.

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