Denver Broncos reporter and analyst, Benjamin Allbright, called Marquise Goodwin the most impressive San Francisco 49ers wide receiver during the joint practices between the two teams.
Goodwin has been easily the most impressive Niners WR the last two days.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) August 17, 2019
With all the offseason hype surrounding some of the 49ers' younger receivers, it's easy to forget about Goodwin, who was the team's most productive wideout just two seasons ago. Injuries hindered his 2018 campaign.
Then the 49ers brought in names like Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd to join second-year receivers Dante Pettis and Richie James. Don't forget about third-year slot-man, Trent Taylor. Meanwhile, Goodwin has been quietly having a nice training camp.
"I think Quise is having a real good camp," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Saturday. "I mean, Quise always does. Quise is always well prepared, is in shape, he has great stamina, and he's had an unbelievable camp three years in a row.
"The key for Quise is, are we going to be able to keep it up throughout the year? I do think — you never know until the year goes, and you can't control a lot of that stuff, but the way he's just gone about his business, the way he's practiced day in and day out, even when he's not getting the ball, and he's not involved that much, he's looking the same and just the effort that he has.
"I think Quise has put himself in position to have a more durable year, and also the fortunate thing is we've got some other guys in here that takes a little pressure off Quise to have to do this stuff day in and day out."
Several analysts predicted Pettis to be a potential breakout player for the 49ers. A lot of that was based on his versatility, how he finished last season, and the fact that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo should be healthy and throwing him footballs.
Pettis has had an up and down training camp. That didn't change in Denver. He was taunted by Broncos players on Friday following several key drops in practice and reportedly got pancaked by safety Justin Simmons while blocking on a run play.
Saturday's practice looked better.
"It seemed like it," Shanahan said. "We'll see on the tape. Dante's getting challenged every day, from our own team and from teams that play him. Dante's a talented guy, and if people just sit back on him, he's going to make anybody miss.
"Guys are challenging him, so he's starting to get used to that a little bit more. He's not great at it right away, but that's been the challenge for him this camp. He's been up and down with it, but what I like seeing from him is he's not backing away. He's fighting, and I think he's better at that now than he was two weeks ago."
The 49ers have acknowledged that some tough decisions are approaching when it comes to the team's wide receiver group. There is a lot of young talent and potential but only so many roster spots available. There will be some good wideouts who don't make the 53-man roster.
James, whose name has been mentioned while discussing potential roster-bubble players, had a couple of good practices against the Broncos. But it wasn't just Friday's and Saturday's outings by the wideout that have caught Shanahan's eye.
"I think he's done a good job and stepped it up throughout camp," Shanahan said, "so I wouldn't say there was a big difference in these two days. I think he's done a real good job."
