It's tough to get back to the Super Bowl after losing it. The Patriots are the only team in the last 25 years to do so. San Francisco is the team fighting that history this year, and they'll be trying to do it with a wide receiver corps that gets thinner by the day.
Jalen Hurd went down with a knee injury yesterday, and Kyle Shanahan said he'd be surprised if Hurd didn't tear his ACL. That will knock the 2019 third-rounder out for the year, again. Previously, Deebo Samuel fractured his foot. He's expected to miss multiple games, and it's not the kind of injury you want to rush someone back from. San Francisco lost Emmanuel Sanders in free agency and traded away Marquise Goodwin -- two departures they're probably regretting today -- while Travis Benjamin opted out of this season.
Hurd's removal from the equation cuts the San Francisco neophyte receivers to take a flier on from two down to one. First-rounder Brandon Aiyuk has the negative of being a rookie trying to learn the offense in a year without minicamps and exhibition games, but what choice does San Francisco have? Whether he's behind the eight-ball or not, the 49ers might have little choice but to put him on the field and hope he can contribute. Shanahan gave the rookie a vote of confidence over the weekend, saying he was "further ahead than a lot of rookies."
If you're reluctant to gamble on a rookie (one whose ADP is certainly climbing this week), there are a few veterans to choose from. Kendrick Bourne has been in the offense the longest. Trent Taylor is the favorite for slot receiver duties, as he was a year ago (before missing the season with a foot injury that required multiple surgeries). San Francisco signed Tavon Austin and J.J. Nelson over the weekend, and one of those guys may have to be a factor early on.
The safest choice for a role is definitely Bourne. He's been a part of the red zone offense all along, catching 9 touchdowns the last two seasons. In the linked article, Shanahan has some high praise for him (and the article notes Bourne caught a pair of touchdowns during red-zone drills yesterday).
"He might not have had many catches, but his consistent play over last year, I thought he was one of our best guys, if not our best," Shanahan said. "He's always ready when he gets the ball. Bourne's gotten better each year."
But Shanahan's observation of his lack of catches is noteworthy. Between the 20s, Bourne hasn't been a big part of the offense. Last year he caught only 30 passes. Will that increase? Seems like it would be necessary given the team's injury issues, but hard to count on it.
To me, foot injury or not, Samuel is still the guy to draft here. Aiyuk will probably be taken earlier than I'll grab a rookie. Bourne usage is too uncertain. Taylor, Austin and Nelson are all guys who need to make the team.
The wildcard is that maybe San Francisco decides they need to add someone. Josh Gordon, Antonio Brown, even Dez Bryant. Brown will miss the first eight games, of course, so that doesn't really solve anything for them. But it won't be surprising if they add (another) veteran in the next few days. Until, and probably even if, they do, Samuel is the only guy I'm likely to want to invest in.
--Andy Richardson