2019 UDFA Shawn Poindexter could add New Height to 49ers Offense
Despite drafting two wide receivers in the 2019 draft (Jalen Hurd and Deebo Samuel), the 49ers brought in the late-blooming Shawn Poindexter for a preseason tryout. After spending his entire rookie season on injured reserve, Poindexter is back with the 49ers for a fresh chance at making the NFL.
The 49ers would reap major benefits from Poindexter’s further development. It just depends on if they have the patience and space to do so. He needs to improve his overall game if he wants to stick around, but his physical tools are hard to ignore.
Poindexter, a 6’5", 213 pound wide receiver from the University of Arizona, has the size and athleticism that could make him a matchup nightmare in any offense, especially on 50-50 balls.
Similar to other red zone threats like Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates and Darren Fells, who switched from basketball to football, Poindexter fully focused on football after briefly committing to Cal Baptist for volleyball.
Poindexter began his collegiate football career at Glendale Community College, before transferring to the University of Arizona in 2016. After an injury-plagued sophomore season and less-than-stellar junior year, Poindexter burst onto the scene his senior season.
His 759 receiving yards led the team and his 11 receiving touchdowns tied the school record. This was enough to earn a spot in the East-West Shrine Game, where he added another touchdown to his tape.
Despite his tools and propensity to find the end zone, Poindexter ultimately went undrafted in 2019, allowing the 49ers to scoop him up as a free agent.
With a bunch of young receivers on the roster, Poindexter had an uphill climb in making the team. But before he really got a chance to force anyone’s hand, his quest was cut short.
Late in the third quarter of the second preseason game, Poindexter tore his ACL covering a punt. Just as his development was curtailed by injuries at Arizona, his rookie year in San Francisco, and chances at making the roster, ended there. Yet, the 49ers saw enough from him in college and his brief preseason work to place him on injured reserve once he cleared waivers.
Although he would not play any games in 2019, he got to rehab his knee and learn Kyle Shanahan’s offense with a front-row seat to the NFC Champion 49ers.
Just as they were his rookie year, Poindexter’s odds at making the roster are not high. The 49ers added two more receivers in the draft, including seventh round rookie Jauan Jennings (6’3, 215).
As it currently stands, Poindexter is one of 12 wide receivers on the roster, with at least eight ahead of him on the depth chart. Teams rarely carry more than seven receivers.
Yet, with the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement coming into effect in 2020, practice squads have been expanded from 10 to 12 spots. Teams can be much more experimental with how they develop their young talent.
Poindexter is one player that should benefit from this. A healthy season with improvement, paired with his close-to-unguardable size and athleticism, would bring a new wrinkle to Shanahan’s already dynamic offense.
