Getty Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch of the 49ers.
One experiment in the Bay Area came to an end for the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, September 7.
But in the process, the 49ers not only added two more to the roster, but one of the players the franchise signed happens to be a past Bay Area talent.
Willie Snead Out, Past Local Product in
Announced per the league’s transaction wire, the 49ers have added Connor Wedington to the team’s practice squad — joining tight end Troy Fumagalli as the new additions to the team’s roster.
In addition, S.F. terminated the contract of veteran wide receiver Willie Snead IV, whose 49ers stay lasted just over a month.
For those who followed college football especially in the Bay, Wedington is a familiar name among that football scene: He played for general manager John Lynch’s college alma mater Stanford.
Wedington played four seasons in nearby Palo Alto. In 2017, he showed flashes of potential in the Cardinal uniform by tallying 306 all-purpose yards including 243 as a receiver according to the Stanford football site. He delivered this one-hander during that true freshman campaign:
College wide receivers can have a career without a catch like this. Freshman @ConnorWedington in his first game 👀
Wedington was then given a redshirt season in 2018 — playing in four games but being injured in the season opener, which helped prompt the decision to give him a redshirt season, best known as an extra year of playing eligibility.
The 2019 season was his best one at The Farm. Wedington shattered personal records in receptions (51), receiving yards (506), plus added 590 more yards through kickoff returns. He managed to lead the Pac-12 with an average of 28.1 yards per kick return. He showed his versatile, explosive side the most against USC: Combining for 187 total yards (103 on returns, 67 receiving and 13 rushing) plus delivered a 60-yard kick return in the 45-20 loss. Wedington would go on and earn All Pac-12 honorable mention honors.
Wedington then endured the truncated coronavirus season of 2020, starting in three games and totaling 252 total yards. However, he executed one more one-hander in the rivalry contest versus the California Golden Bears to reclaim The Axe trophy.
Connor Wedington brought that energy! 💥
The one handed snag helped @StanfordFball take back the Axe and earns the #Pac12FB Catch of the Week title.
The 6-foot, 204-pound Wedington not only inserted his versatility into the Cardinal offense, but worked his way to team captain in 2020. Draft expert Lance Zierlein of nfl.com, though, believed that Wedington was more athlete than receiver in his draft evaluation of him.
“Team captain and high-end athletic tester who is currently a better athlete than receiver. Wedington has decent size, adequate speed and explosive hips and foot quickness. He’s primarily a catch-and-run receiver asked to make things happen with the ball in his hands but does have some three-level traits to work with,” Zierlein wrote, concluding that he needed to be coached up as a route runner.
Wedington went undrafted and had stints with the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans before being claimed by the 49ers.
Snead Experiment Ends Quick
The 29-year-old veteran Snead was originally brought in on August 5 during the tail end of 49ers training camp to help provide some needed depth at the WR position. Snead managed to appear in two preseason games with the Niners.
Against the Minnesota Vikings, Snead caught three footballs for 25 yards and averaged 8.3 yards per catch. His final game as a 49er is officially the last preseason game: Catching two passes for 36 yards in the 17-0 loss to the Texans.
Snead was originally thought to be one who would provide some depth at slot receiver. But that spot is expected to see Ray-Ray McCloud, rookie Danny Gray, even veterans Jauan Jennings and Pro Bowler Deebo Samuel line up there.