Which 49ers receiver will answer Kyle Shanahan's call vs Broncos?

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has issued a challenge to the wide receivers on the team in order for them to elevate their play. Which 49ers receiver will answer his call on Monday night against the Denver Broncos?

Week one of the preseason may have been a nice treat for the 49ers Faithful, but for Kyle Shanahan it was a bit of a stale performance. Particularly when it comes to the San Francisco 49ers wide receivers. On a conference call on Sunday with the media, Shanahan made it clear that there isn't a standout player in the group.

"I want someone to take the job and make it to where it’s extremely obvious. We haven’t had that yet. We have a bunch of young guys who are extremely hungry, and they are going for it. We’ve got some other guys who have been here who have also been that way, but I think guys are very even matched right now and I want someone to step it up." via NBC Bay Area.

If we are strictly judging from the game against the Dallas Cowboys, then Shanahan is absolutely correct. Jalen Hurd may have been the biggest star of the group with a lot of bright spots, but there were still inconsistencies with him. It's not like these wideouts were going up against a starting caliber defense against the Cowboys. Monday night the 49ers will take on the Denver Broncos with the bulk of the starters seeing playing time.

So which 49ers receiver will answer Kyle Shanahan's call versus the Broncos?

While his challenge was to fire up his receivers, especially the two rookies in Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd. The receiver who has to step up Monday night is Dante Pettis. It felt like he practically held out of the game against the Cowboys, so he needs a strong performance against Denver. It's not a critical situation for him to perform because he is obviously a lock on the team who will see a fair share of snaps in the offense.

But considering he did sit out and Jimmy Garoppolo will make his return there is no excuse for him to not stand out. The Broncos secondary is a very skilled one, but it's not like there will be actual game planning on their end. This is the first step for him to make a huge leap in production from year one to year two. Competition at the position is also the thickest it has been in years.

Deebo Samuel is more than capable to dethrone Pettis as the better option as a go-to receiver. There has even been some noise on social media and articles that Pettis has fallen out of favor already. While there is nothing concrete to that narrative, what has driven that point is likely the fact that he isn't being noted as much during training camp. It is a fair point to bring up because I do believe Deebo Samuel will be the better receiver. That doesn't mean Pettis won't be productive.

The fact that Richard Sherman has taken it upon himself to take him under his wing is a great sign that Pettis has the talent to be a big time player. As of now, Kyle Shanahan hasn't seen him or any other receiver as big time supposedly. It is a great tactic on Shanahan's part to try to get his wideouts to raise their game, especially with Garoppolo slinging it for a few series Monday. Regardless, whoever answers Shanahan's call against the Broncos will definitely be seen as a dependable receiver.