What the 49ers Want to See Out of Their Wide Receivers

John Lynch revealed at the scouting combine what the 49ers want to see out of their three young receivers.

Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) runs with the ball during the third quarter against Tennessee Titans cornerback Marcus Harris (26) and linebacker Cody Barton (50) at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Improving the wide receiver position this offseason will be a priority for the San Francisco 49ers.

However, the position can improve aside from adding a player in free agency or the draft. It can improve if the current receivers, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, and Jordan Watkins, step up.

But each player is different, which means each of them has a specific goal they need to hit to improve. At the scouting combine on Tuesday, John Lynch shared what the 49ers want to see out of their young receivers.

John Lynch sounds off on the receivers

"We've got some young players that we really need to come to the forefront. Jacob Cowing’s a guy that we've had, and we’ve like for a couple years, he hasn't been on to be able to be on the field much because of his hamstring ailments," Lynch said. "You know, Ricky's [Pearsall] a fantastic player. We’ve got to find a way to keep him healthy.

"He had a tough injury early, and he kept dinging the same thing over and over and over, and it was a tough year for him... Jordan Watkins has to take big steps, and then we've got opportunities to improve ourself by either bringing back some of the players who have been with us or go finding new guys that fit who we want to be and what we want to be both in free agency and in the draft.”

For Cowing and Pearsall, it's as simple as can be -- they need to stay on the field. This past season had a lot of high hopes for these two players before injuries derailed them.

Pearsall got to flash and show his talents for a time, but at this point, he's an injury-prone player. The same can be said for Cowing, who's dealt with hamstring injuries in back-to-back seasons.

You have to wonder if the 49ers are reaching a point where they're ready to give up on Cowing. I wouldn't blame them if they did. They can't keep investing in a player who can't stay healthy.

As for Watkins, he was hit with injuries as well, which is odd that Lynch didn't mention that, as he did for the other two. Kyle Shanahan cited Watkins' injury as a reason why he couldn't see the field.

All three players just need to find some injury luck. That way, they can begin to gain traction towards finally ascending, and that's if they can ascend.

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