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The San Francisco 49ers are preparing to face the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game. For most of the players on the roster, like third-year wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, this is their first playoff run. The 49ers are on the doorstep of the organization's seventh trip to a Super Bowl.
Bourne caught three passes for 40 yards against the Minnesota Vikings during Saturday's 27-10 win, including hauling in the team's first playoff touchdown in six years. The receiver walked away as the offense's highest-graded player (84.2), according to Pro Football Focus.
It wasn't a perfect outing, though, for the receiver who has shown significant improvement this season and has become a clutch target for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. In addition to his three receptions, Bourne had a drop on what was perceived to be a catchable ball.
Bourne
joined KNBR on Tuesday and was asked by Greg Papa about his in-game consistency. How does the young wideout often come up with the more difficult catches, yet lets some easier ones fall to the ground?
"I always say, just not really focused in," Bourne responded on the
Papa and Lund show. "The 3rd-and-4 that I dropped, I definitely feel like I was just peeking at the defender, trying to anticipate the hit and stuff like that. So, that's stuff that I can work on when I'm going across the middle, just focusing on the ball, not worrying about the hit, knowing I'm going to get hit.
"And I feel like, you said, the acrobatic ones, just knowing I need to make it. I just feel like the pressure of the third-down or whatever, I just feel like it's more pressure on me, so I just — I don't know — I answer the pressure pretty well.
"Even Jimmy just putting the ball in the area that it needs to be, and [me] just making the play, I don't care where it's at, I need to make the catch. That's what my job is. I get paid to make the tough catches. That's really what I've got to do.
"Even thinking about those plays, I really want them back because I don't get a lot of [opportunities], so I just got to make the ones that come."
Bourne goes on to say that sometimes his overconfidence also contributes to dropping some easier passes. He also discusses his dance moves, having fun on the football field, learning from veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders, and more.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Bourne below.
We are now nearly two months removed from the San Francisco 49ers' Super Bowl 58 defeat. The NFL Scouting Combine and the bulk of free agency are in the books. Before we look forward to the NFL Draft, it is important to reflect on the moves that have already occurred. They will provide a better picture of the team's remaining needs heading into the annual rookie selection event.
To review a complete list of the 49ers' offseason moves thus far, you can visit our 2024 free agency tracker.
Key Departures
The most significant departure was Arik Armstead. The defensive tackle's high salary-cap figure and his recent injury history prompted the
The San Francisco 49ers will hold a mandatory minicamp from June 4 through 6, officially concluding the team's offseason program. After that, the Niners will break for over a month and return to the Santa Clara facilities for training camp in late July.
Between that time, starting quarterbacks will often organize throwing sessions with their receivers in an effort to build chemistry ahead of the rigors of training camp. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been unable to participate in such sessions over the last two years. The last overall draft pick in 2022, Purdy had yet to make a name for himself during his first offseason. Last year, he was still recovering from offseason surgery on his throwing arm.
RELATED:
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
