49ers Gain More Speed With Jacob Cowing

The fourth round of the NFL draft had a common theme for the San Francisco 49ers' offense between rookie running back Isaac Guerendo and wide receiver Jacob Cowing—speed.

Cowing of Arizona was selected 135th overall with the 49ers' final fourth-round pick; he reached the fastest top speed in the first 5 yards of the 40-yard dash in the entire draft class.

While Cowing is a smaller receiver (5'8", 168 lbs.), his 4.38 second 40-time and productivity at Arizona stood out. Last season, Cowing set a single-season program record with 13 receiving touchdowns—second among all Pac-12 receivers--along with 90 receptions for 848 yards.

"Very similar to what we got with [WR] Ricky [Pearsall]", head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters. "There's not a route that he can't run. He starts outside the numbers and he's got the speed to get on top of people and threaten with a go."

Between his time at UTEP and Arizona, Cowing finished his collegiate career with 316 receptions for 4,504 receiving yards over five seasons without missing a single game.

Speed is one element Cowing brings to the table but his productivity is also a testament to his toughness as a player. General manager John Lynch alluded to this while speaking about Cowing from another perspective. During one of the 49ers' top-30 visits with an unnamed cornerback, Lynch got some additional insight about Cowing.

"Just some of the conversations we had a corner in here on the 30 and sometimes those are the value of the 30. He had played against Jacob Cowing and Jacob is small in stature, but what Kyle was alluding to the toughness to overcome that, this corner said he's the toughest guy he played against this year."

With the addition of another speedy receiver to round out the 49ers' draft class, the wide receiver group should have plenty of competition entering training camp. Danny Gray, a former 2022 third-round pick, is a similar player profile to Cowing but has been barred by injuries the last couple of seasons.

Between Cowing and Guerendo, both rookies offer value in special teams on kick and punt returns. The 49ers recently signed wide receiver Trent Taylor to compete for a roster spot with contributions as a returner--but that could change post-draft.

While Cowing may not have the ideal size, his speed and toughness bode well for him at the next level. Expect Cowing to compete as a slot receiver in the offense and possibly a returner on special teams for the 49ers.

• Justin Wong
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  Justin Wong
  Justin Wong has been writing for the 49ers Webzone since 2017 while also running an NFC West blog and podcast called Just The West. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to @JustTheWest on Twitter.
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