Hurd mentality?

By Scooter_McG

By now I'm sure everyone has heard the quotes from John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan regarding Jalen Hurd and his chances of making the 53 man roster. But for those living under a rock, or needing a refresher, here is what Shanahan had to say:

"I’ve seen Jalen when he's gone. I know he’s one of our top-six receivers, so that’s not an issue. That’s how Dee Ford was last year. That’s how Tartt is. We know they’re one of our top guys at those positions, but it’s such a scary thing and hard decision for the 53. And we have other guys there after those guys who are good and who could make this team and really help us."

And here is John Lynch's quote:

"We're excited about him. I mean, we're holding on. He hasn't played in the first couple of years, but for good reason. He's had legitimate injuries. But he's been out there. We've had two really hard practices. And he's done a great job in them. And it would be a really good thing for our team if he could be out there. So we're pulling for him, and he's put in the work, and hopefully, he's there, because he makes us a better team, if he is."

Based on these quotes, and assuming they aren't blowing smoke in an attempt to drum up trade interest, it sounds like both Lynch and Shanahan really want Hurd to make the team. They both seem genuinely excited by what he can bring to the team. If it wasn't for injury issues he would undoubtedly make the roster. 

This of course makes sense; despite having limited experience as a WR the 49ers chose him in the third round in 2019. And he was a third round draft pick for a good reason. His combination of size, strength, speed and agility is rare, as is his experience as both a RB and WR which makes him a highly valuable commodity for the Shanahan offense that puts a premium on versatile pass catchers with elite running skills. 

And the early reports from 2019 training camp were very positive. Peter King went as far as to say he would be OROY of the 2019 after watching a 49ers camp practice. That should tell you how excited the 49ers were at the time, and how much the team wanted to integrate his skills into the offense. 

But that was 2019. We've yet to see what he could be in a game, and now he is coming off two serious injuries. And while John Lynch can talk up what Hurd did in "two really hard practices", it is just two practices. He's struggled to even get on the practice field most of training camp. He clearly isn't fully recovered. And he hasn't had a chance to show the team whether he has the same physical abilities he came into the NFL with in 2019. 

It leaves me wondering whether this is more a case of the team really liking the idea of Hurd, and what he could bring, more so than the current actuality of Hurd. And it leaves the team in a position of having to take a risk - either keep Hurd and bank on not only him being able to stay healthy, but also being the player they thought he could be, or take the risk of giving up on Hurd and seeing that talent be realised somewhere else. 

This is why the game against the Raiders is actually quite an important one for both Hurd and the 49ers. At this stage it seems likely Hurd will make the 53, and a strong showing against the Riaders can go a long way to giving the team confidence it is the right choice.