San Francisco 49ers fans who listen to KNBR know Larry Krueger well. The popular radio host joined the latest 49ers Webzone No Huddle Podcast episode and shared many of his thoughts surrounding this year's roster. One of the positions discussed at length was the wide receiver group.
The 49ers lack that big-name, big-body red zone threat at wide receiver. That doesn't mean head coach Kyle Shanahan won't be able to scheme big plays out of the group. Krueger believes there are reasons to be excited about the receivers currently on the roster.
"This is another area where I think you've got to be really excited," shared Krueger. "I mean, Jimmy Garoppolo did what he did last year largely without Pierre Garçon, who is a terrific route runner, very dependable receiver. So he's going to have him now.
"I think, in a lot of ways, this receiving core is very, very underwhelming and if you really are kind of looking at it from afar, you could actually say it's a weakness because they don't have that Julio Jones. They don't have that A.J. Green. They don't have a true number one. But what they do have is a bunch of receivers that, I think, fit pretty well together.
"You have (Marquise) Goodwin who stretches the field. You have Garçon who runs really, really terrific routes. You have Trent Taylor, who I think in a short amount of time has proven that he can get open in the slot. And that's just the first-tier guys."
Krueger is very excited to see what a certain second-year receiver can do within this offense.
"Now, the guy who I think can impact things dramatically – and I know this sounds crazy because you're talking about an undrafted free agent – but I'm a huge fan of Kendrick Bourne. Every time I look up, it seems that Kendrick Bourne is spending time in the facilities, getting reps, getting better. I thought at the end of last year, he showed on a few different plays, big-time run-after-the-catch ability. I'm not saying Jerry Rice (or) John Taylor run-after-the-catch ability, but better run-after-the-catch ability than I've seen on almost any other receiver besides that duo in a Niner uniform. I'm really, really excited about Kendrick Bourne."
While Krueger is excited about Bourne, he is less enthusiastic about the 49ers' second-round draft pick from April – Dante Pettis.
"To me, he's going to be like found money," he continued. "I'm expecting him to get beat up at the line of scrimmage, be unable to avoid the jam at the line, be hurt a lot, and be relatively ineffective. I have really low expectations for Pettis. If Pettis is equal to a second-round pick, they're going to have a very good wide receiver core."
Krueger feels there were better options available in the draft than the former Washington Huskies receiver but acknowledges that head coach Kyle Shanahan is the expert and knows exactly what he is looking for at the position.
You can listen to the latest No Huddle Podcast episode with Krueger below, from our dedicated podcast page, on iTunes, Google Play, or SoundCloud.
