San Francisco 49ers: Stacking up the wide receiver groups in the NFC West

San Francisco 49ers

Key Contributors: Marquise Goodwin, Pierre Garcon, Trent Taylor, Dante Pettis

San Francisco’s receiving group didn’t really seem to get on track until Jimmy Garoppolo took over and took command of the offense. Obviously, by that point, it was too late in the season for the 49ers to do much of anything but evaluate – but, they had to be happy with what they saw.

San Francisco 49ers

In his five starts, Garoppolo threw for 1,560 yards and seven touchdowns. Brian Hoyer and C.J. Beathard combined for 2,675 yards and eight touchdowns in the season’s other eleven starts – which shows you the sort of impact Garoppolo had on this offense.

Goodwin led the way with 962 receiving yards, but only turned that into two touchdowns. Pierre Garcon was second among the wide receivers with 500 receiving yards on 40 receptions – but he also missed eight games due to an injury.

Last year’s fifth-round pick, Trent Taylor, meshed well with Shanahan’s offense, racking up 430 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns on 43 catches, putting him third among San Francisco’s leading receivers.

Having been able to work with San Francisco’s receivers a bit last season, as well as the work they’re doing together during this offseason, Garoppolo is building a solid rapport and chemistry with them – which will only make them more effective as time goes on.

There are certainly plenty of questions about this group – perhaps, the most pressing, can Garcon stay healthy, and given that he’ll be 32 when the season starts, how much does he have in the tank?

Also, can rookie Dante Pettis step up and be the playmaker on the offensive side of the ball that can help add another dimension?

The gap between the Rams receiving group and the rest of the division is a wide one. But, the 49ers should feel comfortably secure that at least they have the NFC West’s second-best receiving corps.