Which 49ers Wide Receiver Needs to Have a Breakout Season?
The 49ers have a slew of players who need to have breakout season. One area that arguably needs to see it is at wide receiver. The position is once again one of the lesser areas for the 49ers. Outside of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, there isn't really a dependable receiver for the 49ers now that Kendrick Bourne is in New England. Someone has to step up and breakout. It is easily Jalen Hurd. Plagued by injuries since the 2019 preseason, Hurd has yet to be worth anything to the 49ers. As it stands, he is poised to be ready for action at the start of training camp. If he is, the 49ers are not going to be able to keep the training wheels on him for long. They have to get something out of him given the fact they took him with the 67th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. That is not measly draft capital. A player taken there has to produce. The guy needs to be healthy and productive this season. Even if they bring him along slowly, he has to make his presence known in the offense somehow. Otherwise, the selection of Hurd is going to start looking like a gaff by the 49ers. Of course, they could never predict the injuries that have occurred to him since being drafted. But this is a results league. Hurd will be viewed as a wasted draft pick if he cannot do something this year. Ideally, the 49ers would love to have him take the reigns as the No. 3 wide receiver. Again, it doesn't have to be right from the start. I doubt that is even possible for him. But at some point his plate needs to see more volume so he can prove his worth. Of all the wide receivers on the 49ers who need it, Hurd is carrying around the biggest exclamation mark on this subject.