The San Francisco 49ers made several massive changes this offseason in response to their unexpected six-win campaign in 2024. While a handful of players certainly underperformed for the Red and Gold last season, injuries were what plagued the team the most.
Perhaps no position was hit harder than wide receiver, as star Brandon Aiyuk played just seven games after tearing his ACL against the Kansas City Chiefs in October. First-round pick Ricky Pearsall missed six games as well, and Deebo Samuel also sat out two contests.
Not to mention, running back Christian McCaffrey, who is a major receiving threat in Kyle Shanahan's offense, only played in four games during the 2024 season after suffering a smattering of injuries. All of these players missing time, however, gave rise to an unexpected star for San Francisco.
Jauan Jennings is NFL's most underrated receiver according to Bleacher Report
Fourth-year wide receiver Jauan Jennings burst onto the scene last year and had plenty of success as the injuries piled up in the 49ers' receiver room. On Monday, however, Bleacher Report's Alex Kay listed Jennings as the most underrated receiver in the NFL.
"Jauan Jennings faced long odds of having a breakout season in 2024. ... That is exactly what happened, however, as Jennings stayed relatively healthy and vastly outperformed expectations during a down Super Bowl hangover season in the Bay Area," Kay wrote. "With Samuel now gone and Aiyuk still rehabbing his injured knee, the door remains wide open for Jennings to build upon his breakout season. The rapport the wideout established with quarterback Brock Purdy should only grow as the battery gets a full training camp together to prepare for a bounce-back 2025 campaign."
Jennings caught 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns last season, so he is no stranger to 49ers fans. In fact, it was precisely his emergence that made Samuel expendable this offseason, which spurred his trade to the Washington Commanders.
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By no measure is Jennings an elite wideout, but he can be a key complementary piece alongside Aiyuk, Pearsall, McCaffrey and George Kittle. He is also a strong run-blocker, which is a benefit to Shanahan's offense as a whole.
Another aspect of his game that is so valuable is that he can line up all over the field. According to Pro Football Focus, Jennings lined up out wide on 435 snaps but also played from the slot on 252, and even started in the backfield on two snaps.
While Jennings is still underrated at this point in the offseason by most, it won't be much longer until he firmly establishes himself into the elite No. 2 wide receiver range. 49ers fans are well aware of his capabilities, and the league should not be far behind in this recognition.
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