Let's talk about our Wide Receivers, today
Wide Receivers
Marquise Goodwin - Congrats on the 40 yards of gold win, homie. As a former track and field star and Olympian, Marquise Goodwin has a legitimate claim as the fastest man in the NFL and it shows on the field. He has blazing foot speed and become a very solid route runner in more recent years even though he does mostly out routes and occasional digs to get himself in open space. When ever he catches the ball he is a home run threat. If he has any weaknesses its that he doesn't have much in the way of lateral speed and he doesn't love catching passes in traffic but he is schemed open and if he has some space, he'll turn on the burners and get chunks of yards downfield. Last year was a bit of a down year but I expect another 700+ yard season from him and perhaps another 3 or 4 years of high level production.
Skills: A
Performance: B-
Potential: C+
Overall: B+
Dante Pettis - 2018 Draft 2nd Round Pick. I thought he was one of the top 3 Wide Receivers of last years class and even though we didn't see as much of him as I would have liked, I still think he had an impressive rookie season especially in the latter half of last year. He made some catches that were not just very good but elite. He averaged 17.5 yards a catch which is actually a scary number since he hasn't even peaked yet. I jokingly called him baby O'Dell because their games are quite similar, but Pettis seems to possess a much better attitude and is ok with being a team player as he also has a willingness to block and divert attention from opposing backfields. Again like Goodwin he needs to at times fight for the ball in traffic but again, Shanahan schemes his guys open and Pettis in open field is as dangerous as anyone in the NFL. This guy will ultimately be a star in this league.
Skills: A-
Performance: B-
Potential: A-
Overall: B+
Tyshun 'Deebo' Samuel - 2019 2nd Round Draft Pick. I again thought thought he was one of top 3 Wide Receivers of this past draft (actually I think he is the best). In college he was the opposite of Dante Pettis in the sense that he fights DBs for the ball or anyone else that wants it with him. He reminds me a lot of Anquan Bolden and Steve Smith. He already has the tools to be a 10-15 year career player. I think he has the most complete route tree of any receiver in this draft. Again I have friends who played for South Carolina and I watch a lot of their games, the guy is always ready for a fist fight and works the middle of the field as well as anyone. If I do have a concern, he has an injury history and these injuries (hamstring) keep him from being a super explosive athlete. So its important for the training staff to keep an eye on that. If they do he will be a year one starter, imo.
Skills: B+
Performance: C+
Potential: B+
Overall: B
Jalen Hurd - The other 'Wide Receiver' we picked in the 3rd Round of this draft. I've been beating up John Lynch for not really going after big pass catchers and then he goes ahead and does this. Jalen Hurd is listed as a Widre receiver but he has played a lot of snaps as a Tight End and from the backfield. A lot of teams shied away from because you can argue he is raw but even so at 6'4 and 226 lbs, he basically build like Andre Johnson but he's way faster, the dude is an athletics specimen. On top of that he played on a torn meniscus and got 43 yards and helped get Baylor a victory against Texas Tech. With that I still a raw piece of steak but he's prime rib. With a year or 2 of seasoning Jalen Hurd will be a matchup nightmare in the NFL and Jalen can hurt you anywhere on the field.
Skills: B
Performance: C+
Potential: A
Overall: B
Kendrick Bourne - Kendrick Bourne was kind of the breakout player at Wide Receiever. Coming in as an UDFA in 2017, he worked his way onto the roster and was the leading WR is yards last season. But unfortunately getting 483 yards doesn't guarantee a roster spot especially with all the depth at receiver this year. With that said, I think the Z option is kind of his to lose, he has shown improvement and low key his long wingspan makes him a red zone threat. He needs to continue o refine his route running and consistency to hold his position as a starter.
Skills: B-
Performance: B-
Potential: C
Overall: C+
Jordan Matthews - In his first 2 years in the NFL, Jordan Mathews looked like a borderline star in the NFL, unfortunately he had a down year in 2016 and was traded to the Buffalo Bills where he has been limited by injuries. After signing with the Patriots and Eagles last year, he gets a 1 year deal with San Francisco in an attempt to revive his career. Jordan has a solid skillset, he has got good hands and he's a good route runner with good size. He's not a burner but he can make catches in traffic as well. I'm not sure if the injuries have completely sapped his athleticism and honestly he is still fighting for a spot on an otherwise loaded roster at WR. If he can do so he can be a veteran contributor but it's also possible if the younger players show out he could be looking for a job after the preseason.
Skills: B-
Performance: D
Potential: C+
Overall: C
Trent Taylor - After having a pretty impressive rookie year (relative to his snaps), Trent injured his back and was out for much of last season and when he did play he looked just ok. He's a solid return man and I think that's the thing that will keep him on the team but I also wonder if he's a better return man than Richie James or Raheem Mostert. Trent is a tough guy and a hard worker but he's facing an uphill battle to stay on the roster
Skills: C+
Performance: D
Potential: C-
Overall: C-
Richie James - 2018 7th Round Draft Pick. Has been actually pretty impressive relative to where he's been drafted. I think he is arguably the best return man on the team and will be the first choice when it comes to that, in my opinion. He even has value as a receiver, as he has good hands and great overall speed. The problem is he tends to break down when covered and if a DB gets in his vicinity has a tendency to get alligator arms and dropped catches he should make. He could end up the 6th receiver on the depth chart but he already provides good value at special teams.
Skills: B-
Performance: C-
Potential: C+
Overall: C
Max McCaffrey - Max is a developmental piece who in my opinion is auditioning for another team. I think the team will give him the preseason to prove he can be more than a special teams player but I think he's basically gone. We have too much to justify keeping him and we have more intriguing prospects to look at.
Skills: D
Performance: F
Potenital ; F
Overall: F
Malik Henry - 2019 UDFA. This guy is interesting. Even thought a little undersized at 6' and 175 lbs. He ran an impressive 4.41 and benched 22 times, which shows the man has pretty impressive strength for his frame. But that may not be enough in the NFL, as he not agile and could be picked on by larger DBs. He's likely going to be stashed on the practice squad where can develop.
Skills: C-
Performance: D
Potential D+
Overall D+
Shawn Poindexter - This is a sneaky pickup. I thought we got a guy who I thought could have been drafted in the 6th round and we found him in the scrap heap. The guy is a large 6'5 and while he is just a so-so athlete, he could develop into a Red Zone threat or even sneak in as a 3rd TE where he'd probably do better at the NFL level. Keep an eye on this one.
Skills: D
Performance D
Potential: C
Overall: D
Unit Analysis: This position group is loaded with a combination of speed and talent. There fast receivers, shifty receivers, big bodies and in betweem. Kyle is going to have a field day with his group and Jimmy is clearly excited to work with the new talents, what better is that a lot of these guys were underrated in college and the pros. This is a young group that could develop into one of the most dangerous groups of receivers in the NFL and it's loaded with depth. The future looks bright.
Unit Grade: B+