The 49ers on Monday got a much-needed big day from one of their wide receivers. On a day where reports surfaced that Jalen Hurd may have torn his ACL, marking the third 49ers receiver to go down with an injury this offseason, Kendrick Bourne stepped up.
The fourth-year undrafted free agent snagged a pair of touchdown passes and a long throw from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for a trio of highlight plays on the first day of padded practice.
Bourne was already going to be a key player in the 49ers’ receiving corps given his experience and rapport with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He’ll be thrust into an even brighter spotlight if Samuel misses any regular season time.
Last season Bourne slid nicely into a third receiver role behind Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders. He had 44 targets and hauled in 30 receptions for 358 yards and five touchdowns to tie with George Kittle for the team lead. While the raw numbers aren’t eye-popping, Bourne converted 23 of his 30 catches into either first downs or touchdowns.
Now he could be getting an expanded role where his good hands and ability to create separation may result in even greater production than last season.
One training camp practice doesn’t mean Bourne is en route to a 1,000-yard season or something lofty like that, but it was a typical Bourne showing. He came up with a strong day at a time San Francisco needed a receiver to shine. If he continues putting together a good camp, don’t be surprised to see him with a much heavier workload in 2020.
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