It’s hard to step into a better situation than the one Trey Lance will enter when he becomes the 49ers’ starting quarterback. While there’ll be some questions to answer along the offensive line, his receiving corps might be one of the NFL’s best.
Pro Football Focus ranked the league’s pass-catching groups and put San Francisco at No. 6 overall, and in the ‘Elite’ tier behind Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. That ranking, of course relies a lot on Deebo Samuel’s status. From PFF:
Before Samuel took on his “wide back” role toward the tail end of the 2021 season, he was one of the most efficient wide receivers in the league. His 86.9 PFF receiving grade through Week 10 ranked third, behind only Davante Adams and Cooper Kupp.
George Kittle remains one of the league’s few truly elite tight ends, and Brandon Aiyuk emerged from Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse down the stretch to generate a 119.4 passer rating on his 83 targets. And with potential contributions from less established players like Jauan Jennings and rookie Danny Gray out of SMU, this becomes one of the more well-rounded groups in the league on paper.
