49ers fourth-rounder emerging as threat at wide receiver and in return game

While the focus on the San Francisco 49ers' wide receivers has held steady on Brandon Aiyuk’s ongoing contract situation and rookie first-rounder Ricky Pearsall’s nagging injuries , another player has seen his stock rise.

Jacob Cowing, a fourth-round selection out of Arizona, has earned plenty of praise for his performance on the practice field and against the New Orleans Saints last week.

In his NFL debut , Cowing led the 49ers with four receptions for 51 yards, including a beautiful 38-yard catch that set up San Francisco’s only touchdown. He also rushed for 19 yards on an end-around and contributed on special teams with a pair of punt returns.

“It felt good to finally go out there and get my feet wet a little bit,” Cowing told the media, as transcribed by Chron's Josh Dubow. “Being able to go out there and play against another team that’s not our team. That was fun to play with other guys too. All in all, I think it was a good day for everybody.”

Matt Barrows of The Athletic wrote that “Cowing showed Sunday what the 49ers wanted to see from him: someone who can stretch the field vertically (and horizontally), and who looks comfortable on punt returns.”

It was an eye-opening performance, considering that he had missed a large chunk of training camp and the first preseason game due to a hamstring injury.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was a bit more muted with his praise. “It was good to see him do some things in the game,” Shanahan said on Sunday. “Really like how smooth he looked as a punt returner. But, he’s still got a lot to go through. He is behind.”

The 49ers do have a void at punt returner, following the departure of Ray-Ray McCloud, so that may be the fastest way for Cowing to become a regular contributor as a rookie.

“We drafted him hoping that he could have the potential to do it,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. "(This) was really the first time that we were able to get him out there and he had a week of being healthy, so he’s definitely got a chance to, but (it) was a step in the right direction.”

Cowing gets his final opportunity to make an impression on Friday when the 49ers visit the Las Vegas Raiders.

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