The 49ers search for wide receivers amid a slew of injuries continued Tuesday. They had four receivers in for workouts, including Johnny Holton, River Cracraft, Kevin White and Justin Hardy according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
With Brandon Aiyuk suffering a mild strain of his left hamstring, the 49ers will be down another receiver likely for the duration of training camp. Enter the quartet they hosted Tuesday.
Holton joined the Raiders as an undrafted rookie in 2016. He spent three seasons in Oakland and appeared in 32 games with one start. Holton spent last year with the Steelers where he started three of his 16 contests. For his career, Holton has 14 catches for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He also has seven carries for 52 yards.
Cracraft spent two years with Denver after signing their as an undrafted rookie in 2018. His 12 punt returns as a rookie accounted for most of his NFL production. He also returned three kicks and turned one reception into 40 yards during that 2018 campaign.
Perhaps the most intriguing of the four is White — a former Bears first-round pick. Chicago selected him No. 7 overall in 2015 after he blew the doors off the combine, but injuries derailed White’s career. He missed his entire rookie year, then over the next three seasons racked up just 25 catches for 285 yards and zero touchdowns in 14 games. White at the combine clocked a 4.35 40-yard dash at 6-3, 215 pounds. If he’s finally healthy — his size and athleticism is an interesting combination that could earn him a spot on the camp roster.
The player with maybe the best chance of stepping in and becoming a factor right away though is Hardy. He was a fourth-round pick of the Falcons in 2015 — Kyle Shanahan’s first year as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator. Hardy in two seasons in Shanahan’s offense had 42 receptions for 397 yards and four touchdowns in 25 games. His familiarity with the scheme would allow him to get up to speed quickly in a condensed practice schedule.
Should any of the four players sign, they’ll have a legitimate opportunity to make the club given the injuries and uncertainty at wide receiver. San Francisco has already added three additional wide receivers in the offseason, and their quest for another indicates they may not be exceedingly confident in the group as a whole.
With their roster already at 80 players, any additional signings would need to come with a corresponding release.