49ers WR Jauan Jennings is NFL's Most Underrated Wide Receiver

No one thinks of Jauan Jennings as the No. 1 option in the 49ers' passing game, but he is.

Dec 8, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) runs with the ball before the start of the game against the Chicago Bears at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

No one thinks of Jauan Jennings as the No. 1 option in the 49ers' passing game, but he is.

Last season, he led all 49ers with 113 targets -- Kittle was second with 94. And both he and Jennings played in 15 games.

Most people don't consider Jennings a true No. 1 wide receiver because he's slow. But he still produced like a No. 1 receiver last season because he's one of the toughest, biggest, most competitive wide receivers in the league.

That's why Bleacher Report says Jennings is the most underrated wide receiver in the NFL.

"Initially buried on the depth chart behind stars such as Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle, the little-utilized fourth-year wideout was not expected to become the reigning NFC champions’ most important receiver," writes Bleacher Report's Alex Kay.

"That is exactly what happened, however, as Jennings stayed relatively healthy and vastly outperformed expectations during a down Super Bowl hangover season in the Bay Area.

"Jennings capitalized on his team-high 113 targets, reeling in 77 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns—second to only Kittle and well ahead of third-place Samuel in each of those categories. It marked a massive improvement over the 78-catch, 963-yard, seven-touchdown stat line that Jennings had put up in his first three seasons combined.

"While health was kind to Jennings during a campaign in which Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL and first-round rookie Ricky Pearsall got off to a slow start due to an offseason gunshot wound, he deserves merit for seizing his opportunity and proving to be more than capable of serving as a No. 1 receiver despite his seventh-round draft status.

"With Samuel now gone and Aiyuk still rehabbing his injured knee, the door remains wide open for Jennings to build upon his breakout season. The rapport the wideout established with quarterback Brock Purdy should only grow as the battery gets a full training camp together to prepare for a bounce-back 2025 campaign."

I expect Jennings' target share to increase as long as he stays healthy. That's because he's in his prime while George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey are not -- the 49ers have to preserve those two during the regular season. Meanwhile, Jennings is entering his final season under contract. The 49ers have no reason to preserve him. He could play for another team next year.

Get ready for another big season from Jennings.