B. Williams could fill slot role

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samual had a breakout season in 2021, his third year in the league. The receiver drafted a year after Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, hopes to have a similar leap in production. Aiyuk caught 56 passes last season, hauling in five touchdowns and a career-high 826 yards. However, it initially looked like the receiver's second NFL season would be unremarkable. He had just one reception for six yards through Week 2 and appeared to be in head coach Kyle Shanahan's dog house. Aiyuk's production picked up after that and exploded in the second half of the season. He had 10 catches for 201 yards in the 49ers' final two regular-season games. Last season, nearly 50 percent of his receiving yards came in his final six

Trent Williams' 97.8 overall Pro Football Focus grade from the 2021 regular season led the NFL. In fact, it was the highest-ever grade awarded by the analytics site. Now, some will criticize the grade, arguing that you can't consider an offensive tackle the best player in the league. Don't tell that to All-Pro tight end George Kittle, Williams' San Francisco 49ers teammate. "Trent Williams is the best football player in the NFL," Kittle declared Friday on The Pat McAfee Show (h/t NBC Sports Bay Area). "I don't care. You could talk to me about any

The San Francisco 49ers' rookie minicamp kicked off Friday afternoon, with the 49ers revealing the rookie jersey numbers prior to media availability. Sixth-round selection Nick Zakelj, who will wear No. 63, spoke with the media on Friday for the first time since draft night and shared a rather interesting fact about his football childhood. Zakelj is a Cleveland native, drawing a connection to Alex Mack, whom the rookie watched while growing up. Mack began his career as a member of the Cleveland Browns, playing from 2009-2015 before stints with the Falcons and the 49ers. "I think definitely watching guys like Alex, especially growing up in Cleveland, being drafted, I