There was much to be concerned about at wide receiver for the 49ers.
Outside of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, there was no player who looked like a standout to take the No. 3 role that Kendrick Bourne filled. Not to mention that Samuel is a teetering injury prone player himself.
Wide receiver certainly looked to have some depth concerns following the draft but, after 10 days of training camp, those concerns have dissipated. One of the reasons that it is now an afterthought is the surprise performance of former Cardinals receiver Trent Sherfield. Initially thought of as a special teams player addition, Sherfield is making a case to be a role player at receiver and potentially the No. 3 wideout.
“He just goes as hard as he can and doesn't worry about anything," said Kyle Shanahan. "I mean, you can tell he's a self-made guy who's probably made it on special teams. He's always trying to earn more. And I mean, he doesn't worry about anything. He practices as hard as anyone out there and just is so aggressive in everything he does. I think that's why he's showing up every day and had one of our better camps as a receiver.”
Sherfield is slowly climbing the 49ers receiver ranks.
When you can have Shanahan speak of a player like this, whether it is face value or not, it is definitely a telling sign that he is paying attention to that player. Sherfield has been in a good bulk of highlights from training camp. Mohamed Sanu may appear to be the frontrunner at No. 3, but I wouldn't be so keen as to chalk him up there. He might just be there for now because he is the veteran in the offense and nothing more. It still can be a shared position with others should they prove their worth.
The surprise turnout by Sherfield is why Shanahan wasn't too concerned about the lack of a slot receiver or an overall No. 3. He mentioned how there were players already on the roster who haven't "shown what they can do yet," so it is definitely coming to fruition regarding his words.
All Sherfield needs to do now is translate his training camp game to the preseason.
Then the pressure will be on to get him some opportunities on offense.
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