On Friday, third-year San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne discussed the pressure resulting from the team's intense wide receiver competition.
"You've just got to stack the days," Bourne told reporters. "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.'"
One 49ers rookie wideout, Deebo Samuel, is also feeling that pressure. He spoke with reporters after Sunday's practice about the competition.
"Everybody in that room is pretty good," Samuel said. "[There's] not a day you can go out there and just feel like you can have a bad day. You'll still come back and be in the same spot you was the next day because everybody (is) out there like everybody's life is on the line, every day we're out there. So we're just competing every day in that room and out there on the field."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Sunday that even with eight practices in the books, the wide receiver picture is far from clear. That's a testament to how intense the competition is this offseason.
"I've got a good idea of the guys that we have and how they're wired ability-wise," Shanahan said. "No, the picture isn't getting clear, because I think we've got a bunch of guys who can compete and I don't see any guys that are just for sure starters or for sure backups. I think there's some real competition there."
The competition might be intense, but that doesn't mean the players in the group's meeting room aren't encouraging each other.
"If somebody makes a bad play, everybody is going to tell him what to do to help him," Samuel said. "Every time you make a good play, everybody's going to love on you. It's not like we're in the room like, 'You should have did this, this, that.' Everybody is just lifting each other up."
Samuel said the 49ers have him primarily at the X spot as he continues to learn the offense. His knowledge of the playbook remains a work in progress as he soaks in the terminology and what he needs to listen for in the huddle.
Samuel was also asked what it's like going against one of the best in the game, cornerback Richard Sherman, during practices.
"He's a pretty good corner," Samuel responded. "He's strong, long. If you can get open on him, I feel like you can get open on anybody."
