The San Francisco 49ers are one of many teams scheduled to open up rookie minicamp later this week. For 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the coaching staff, it will be the first look at their rookie class, undrafted free agents, and invite/tryout players.
While most of the attention is on the rookies and UDFAS, there will also be invite/tryout players looking to prove themselves and get signed to the 90-man roster. Invite/tryout players are a mix of rookies and sometimes veterans.
That said, San Francisco is reportedly looking to bring in a rookie wide receiver for minicamp who just failed his physical with another team.
According to Marc Malkoskie of The News-Item, the 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, and Washington Commanders have been in contact with former Penn State wide receiver Julian Fleming about possibly attending their rookie minicamps. The Ravens held their rookie minicamp last weekend.
Malkoskie reported that Fleming failed his physical with the Green Bay Packers after agreeing to an undrafted free agent deal. Green Bay was reportedly concerned about Fleming’s recent hip and back injuries.
It’s interesting to see the 49ers possibly kicking the tires on a wide receiver who has struggled with injuries throughout his career. Seeing Fleming get flagged by the Packers’ medical staff, it's possible the same thing could happen with the 49ers.
The 49ers could hedge their concerns by inviting Fleming as a tryout player to see if everything goes well during the two days of minicamp. Last season with the Nittany Lions, he racked up 14 receptions for 176 yards and a touchdown.
Over his five-year collegiate career at Ohio State and Penn State, Fleming had 93 receptions for 1,139 yards and eight touchdowns.
In his four-year career with the Buckeyes, Fleming’s best year at Ohio State was in 2022, when he had 34 receptions for 533 yards and six touchdowns. With 49ers’ rookie minicamp only days away, we’ll see if San Francisco gives Fleming an invite.