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The thought that a team's leading wide receiver from a season ago might not make the roster seems unthinkable. But nothing is guaranteed for San Francisco 49ers wideout Kendrick Bourne as he enters his third NFL season.
The 49ers added a lot of depth and competition to the group this offseason. Still, just two wide receivers on the roster have more than two seasons of NFL experience. One, Jordan Matthews, is a new addition. The other is Marquise Goodwin.
San Francisco drafted two receivers this year —
Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd. That potentially could push Bourne down the depth chart a bit. Is this a "make or break" offseason for him? If it is, Bourne is making his case with some strong showings during recent practices.
"When I first came in (as an undrafted rookie in 2017), there was a lot of competition too," Bourne told reporters on Friday. "A lot of good guys around me. I think it's even better now. You've just got to stack the days. You put yourself in a bad spot having bad days.
"Knowing how good the room is, it kind of pushes you every day. When I go to sleep at night, I think about it. 'Okay, we've got a good group of guys, so I've got to have a good day.'
"I make sure I study up extra, and just making sure I'm on top of everything so when plays come, live like they do, I've just got to make them happen, like I've been doing."
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Bourne caught 42 passes for 487 yards with four touchdowns last season. That was enough to lead all wideouts on the roster. San Francisco was the only team last season not to have a wideout with 500-or-more receiving yards, and one of just three that did not have a receiver gain 600-or-more yards (Miami, Washington).
One thing that might help Bourne earn a spot on the 53-man roster is the on-field relationship he has with his quarterbacks.
"I've caught touchdowns from each quarterback," Bourne said. "Just having that kind of relationship with all of them, so when we're in, they see me out there, he has confidence (in me), my quarterback. So I try to have a relationship with Jimmy (Garoppolo). Nick (Mullens), and C.J. (Beathard), so once they see my number, they believe in me, and they'll maybe just come to me if they're in a pressure situation. You never know."
Bourne isn't the only young receiver who has been turning heads in practices. Tight end
George Kittle on Friday said third-year wideout Trent Taylor is
"cooking dudes left and right."
Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin are likely roster locks; as are rookies Samuel and Hurd. That leaves seven others, including Bourne, Matthews, and Taylor, fighting for potentially two more spots. That means players are doing everything they can to make the team.
"You can't come out here and be lazy," Bourne added. "You have to be 100 percent. You have to play through injuries, just everything. We've got a lot of guys going through little nicks and bangs right now. It's just we know what's on the line. It's like a make or break year for a lot of us."
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week.
"Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote.
Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco
