The San Francisco 49ers have a new look at WR for the 2008 season
The 49ers have brought in three new WRs that they hope fit into new offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz’ offense. 35-year old Isaac Bruce played for Martz in St. Louis and that’s no doubt why he’s here now. Bruce is getting up there in years but he can still play the game. He played in 14 games for the Rams last season and he caught 55 passes for 733 yards (13.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs. Look for Bruce to improve on those numbers as long as one of the Niners’ QBs step up. Bruce has now played in 197 games in his NFL career and he has caught 942 passes for 14,109 yards (15.0 avg) with 84 TD grabs. He has also carried the ball 23 times for 150 yards (6.5 ypc) in his career.
27-year old Bryant Johnson has always been a solid #3 WR behind Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin in Arizona. But, he wants to make his own mark as a starter and the Niners will give him that chance. Johnson played in all 16 games for the Cardinals last season and he caught 46 passes for 528 yards (11.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs. Look for Johnson to possibly double those numbers in the new Niners’ offense. Johnson has now played in 77 games in his NFL career and he has caught 210 passes for 2,675 yards (12.7 avg) with 9 TD grabs.
28-year old Arnaz Battle was one of the best receivers on the 49ers last season and he should also benefit from the offensive change in philosophy. Battle played in all 16 games for the 49ers last season and he caught 50 passes for 600 yards (12.0 avg) with 5 TD grabs. He also carried the football 4 times for 4 yards (1.0 ypc) with 1 TD run last season. Look for Battle to have a really solid 2008 season for the 49ers and he could have a breakout year. Battle has now played in 64 games in his NFL career and he has caught 149 passes for 1,792 yards (12.0 avg) with 11 TD grabs. He also has carried the ball 21 times for 59 yards (2.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.
The 49ers really like 2nd year WR Jason Hill despite the fact that he didn’t do much as a rookie last season. Hill played in 5 games for the Niners last season and he caught 1 whole pass for a whopping 6 yards. Look for him to catch quite a few passes for the Niners this season as he has been impressive in training camp.
23-year old rookie Josh Morgan has also been outstanding in training camp and he could work his way right up this depth chart. He played in 14 games (11 starts) at Virginia Tech last season and he caught 46 passes for 552 yards (12.0 avg) with 5 TD grabs. Morgan finished up his career at Virginia Tech playing in 51 games (24 starts) in which he caught 122 passes for 1,817 yards (14.9 avg) with 16 TD grabs.
28-year old Ashley Lelie is running out of chances to re-establish himself as a legit WR in the NFL. He played in 15 games for the Niners last season and he caught 10 passes for 115 yards (11.5 avg) without a TD grab. Lelie could move up the depth chart or off of the team altogether and it’s entirely up to him. Lelie has now played in 94 games in his NFL career and he has caught 206 passes for 3,552 yards (17.2 avg) with 13 TD grabs.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C