San Francisco 49ers: Five Bold Predictions For The 2013 Season

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2. Vernon Davis will break the 1,000-yard receiving mark

November 13, 2011; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) runs with the ball after making a catch against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter at Candlestick Park. The 49ers defeated the Giants 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Due to the Crabtree injury, it will be interesting to see how Davis’s role in the offense expands. Outside of Boldin, Davis is the most experienced pass catcher on the Niners’ roster.

Davis had a down year last season, a lot of that is due to end of the season, when he recorded six receptions for 61 yards and no touchdowns over his last six regular season games. It is not clear how much of the transition to Kaepernick had to do with his dip in production.

In the playoffs, Davis came back to life and was a big part of the Niners’ passing offense. He had 12 receptions for 254 yards and a touchdown in the three playoff games. So, it is not really clear what the real production we can expect from the Kaepernick and Davis tandem.

One could reasonably expect that the playoffs were a great indicator for the potential of the Kaepernick and Davis duo. They showed flashes of that potential in Kaepernick’s first full game as a starter, when Davis caught caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. It would be easy to see them reaching that level of production on a weekly basis through the course of the season, especially with the injury to Crabtree.

The injury will mean that Davis will have a greater role in the offense. He is one of the team’s few deep receiving threats and consistent red-zone targets. His increased role was hinted at with reports of the team playing with the idea of using Davis as a wide receiver and he was even working out with the wide receiver group during mini-camps.

This focus on getting Davis more involved in the passing attack should benefit the athletic freak, as he has grown as a pass catcher and a route runner. He has flirted with breaking the 1,000 receiving yard mark before and this will be the season he finally breaks through. Davis will become the Niners’ first tight end to break 1,000 receiving yards since Dwight Clark in 1981.