Bleacher Report's recent suggestion that the San Francisco 49ers should add a veteran wide receiver this offseason reveals a great deal about how outsiders perceive the team's receiving corps heading into the 2025 season.
And the concern may be justified—at least early on. The 49ers traded away Deebo Samuel this offseason. Brandon Aiyuk isn't expected to be ready for the start of the season after suffering ACL and MCL injuries in October. Meanwhile, free-agent signing Demarcus Robinson is facing a potential three-game suspension.
Internally, however, the 49ers don't seem overly concerned about rolling into Week 1 with Jauan Jennings and rookie Ricky Pearsall as their starting wideouts for the road opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
"Obviously, having Ricky Pearsall, J.J. (Jennings) as our guys, for sure, to start off the season [is likely]," quarterback Brock Purdy said this week in an interview with Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game. "Obviously, we're hoping to get B.A. (Aiyuk) back as soon as possible, and then Demarcus Robinson as well.
"But those young guys, too, man, I'm really excited about. They've come in with the right mindset to get better, and they're moving. We've got guys that can move, which is awesome to see. And good hands—they're learning fast.
"And so, for me, I'm excited for when we go 11-on-11 in camp and get a feel for who's who and what they can do."
The 49ers added two wide receivers in this year's draft—Jordan Watkins in the fourth round and Junior Bergen in the seventh. Additionally, George Kittle recently mentioned that he's been impressed with Jacob Cowing, a fourth-round pick from last year, who, according to the All-Pro tight end, reported to the team in excellent shape.
Purdy made sure to highlight the second-year receiver as well while discussing players poised to take the next step in the offense.
"Jacob Cowling, his speed, his maturity, he's had a big offseason, too," Purdy said. "We've got guys. And obviously, in the tight end room, with George and those boys, and Christian [McCaffrey] with the running backs, I think our skill group as a whole will be just fine, and we're going to have some guys that are definitely going to take the next step for us.
"I'm just really excited to keep building them up. So, the whole world will see this fall, so I'm excited."
You can listen to Purdy's entire interview below.