{"id":4740,"date":"2026-07-17T11:39:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4740"},"modified":"2026-07-17T11:39:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:39:23","slug":"can-49ers-young-receivers-unseat-vets-benefit-from-evans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4740","title":{"rendered":"Can 49ers’ young receivers unseat vets, benefit from Evans?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANTA CLARA \u2013 A former 49ers wide receiver recently posted a poignant farewell on social media.<\/p>\n

Read more Killer of dancer O\u2019Shae Sibley gets 20 years for hate-crime manslaughter<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing else in this world breaks you down and teaches you who you are like the game of football does,\u201d Trent Taylor wrote amid Monday\u2019s retirement announcement on Instagram. \u201cThe dog days and the relationships built within it are what\u2019s going to be missed the most.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dog days are coming for the 49ers at training camp, and Taylor has an inspiring tale from a career waylaid by injuries.<\/p>\n

His best season came as a 2017 rookie, and his best game illustrates what every 49ers wide receiver can accomplish in Kyle Shanahan\u2019s system \u2013 whether they are old or new, the \u201cX\u201d split end, the \u201cZ\u201d flanker, or the feisty slot man like Taylor was that December 2017 win in Chicago. He\u00a0overcame the stomach flu and caught all six of his targets \u2014 five for third-down conversions \u2014 in Jimmy Garoppolo\u2019s victorious starting debut.<\/p>\n

The 49ers\u2019 revamped receiving corps will have ample opportunities to make plays and catch Brock Purdy\u2019s passes. Sure, Mike Evans is the most accomplished addition and now the pass offense\u2019s biggest threat. But this won\u2019t be a one-man show.<\/p>\n

Inconsequential are Brandon Aiyuk\u2019s social media outcries about his stalled-out career. His 2025 mysterious vanishing act is now a transaction-in-waiting on the business side, set to follow Jauan Jennings out the door. Onward to preview this season\u2019s crew:<\/p>\n

FARM SYSTEM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Five wide receivers enter camp on draft-pick scholarship, so to speak. Not all will make the club.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

De\u2019Zhaun Stribling, a 2026 second-round pick, could and should play his way into the starting lineup or a considerable role. Same with Ricky Pearsall, a 2024 first-round pick. They, if healthy, will complement Evans, whose workload could be tempered like any 12th-year veteran, especially with repeated hamstring issues.<\/p>\n

Pearsall had no touchdowns but 99 receptions in nine games last season.<\/p>\n

Who among Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen can open eyes and unseat a veteran option? Cowing and Bergen have return-specialist capabilities that are in demand with Skyy Moore gone in free agency.<\/p>\n

Read more Lawsuit accuses Meta of using AI to target workers for layoffs who took medical and maternity leave<\/a><\/p>\n

NOT DONE YET<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Receiver depth is always tested in training camp. The 49ers\u2019 veteran options are more than that. They fit in with their surroundings. It\u2019s not a young offense.<\/p>\n

So Christian Kirk and Demarcus Robinson are certainly in play as part of it. They have 30 and 28 touchdown catches, respectively, and they\u2019ve combined for over 700 catches and 8,700 yards.<\/p>\n

If younger players aren\u2019t versatile enough or physical enough as run blockers or savvy enough to earn Purdy\u2019s trust, the veterans may stay employed. Otherwise, practice squad spots will work.<\/p>\n

BE LIKE MIKE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evans\u2019 professionalism won teammates\u2019 admiration during his spring introduction. You don\u2019t string together 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons by chance. Every nuance of Evans will be and should be studied by all around him, and that goes beyond his fellow receivers.<\/p>\n

The expectations are high. For him. For the 49ers. For this to benefit all, perhaps similar to the scoring touch Davante Adams supplied the Rams last season with 14 touchdowns at age 33; Evans turns 33 on Aug. 21.<\/p>\n

WHAT COACH SAID<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cStribling is a big, physical receiver who has the speed to be an \u2018X\u2019 receiver and run down the sideline past people. He has the size to be able to catch over the middle. \u2026 This offense is not easy, whether it\u2019s the concepts or the details\u2026 We have a ton of formations and motions, probably over 15 motions itself.\u201d \u2013 Leonard Hankerson, wide receivers coach and pass-game coordinator<\/p>\n

ALLEY-OOP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of Evans\u2019 108 touchdown receptions with the Bucs, 62 came inside the red zone, 52 within 10 yards of the goal line, and 10 from the 1. (History lesson: Back in 1957, the 49ers\u2019 R.C. Owens debuted the Alley-Oop touchdown catch on throws from Y.A. Tittle.)<\/p>\n

Read more Horoscopes July 17, 2026: David Hasselhoff, a financial opportunity looks inviting<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mike Evans’ addition is huge for the 49ers but they need homegrown wide receivers to consistently produce this training camp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nCan 49ers’ young receivers unseat vets, benefit from Evans? - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4740\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can 49ers’ young receivers unseat vets, benefit from Evans? - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mike Evans' addition is huge for the 49ers but they need homegrown wide receivers to consistently produce this training camp.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4740\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T11:39:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4740#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4740\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Can 49ers’ young receivers unseat vets, benefit from Evans?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T11:39:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4740\"},\"wordCount\":684,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4740#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/9ec31fbd150068f5dbdb5a91122fc5a9.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4740#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4740\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4740\",\"name\":\"Can 49ers’ young receivers unseat vets, benefit from Evans? 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