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Undrafted rookie wide receiver Will Pauling vying for role with uncertain 49ers
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- Undrafted rookie wide receiver Will Pauling vying for role with uncertain 49ers
Undrafted rookie wide receiver Will Pauling vying for role with uncertain 49ers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — Three seats in the 49ers ' wide receivers room are taken.
There is no question that receivers Mike Evans , De'Zhaun Stribling and Deebo Samuel are being counted upon to play significant roles for San Francisco this season.
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That leaves at least three spots open for competition, as the 49ers gear up for a joint practice Tuesday against the Tennessee Titans with a preseason game to follow on Thursday at Levi's Stadium.
Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Watkins have placed themselves in strong positions for spots. Jacob Cowing currently is sidelined with a hip-flexor injury after spending the entire 2025 season on injured reserve.
Interestingly, there is an undrafted rookie who has distinguished himself in an important way.
Meet Will Pauling, a 5-foot-10, 183-pounder whose size belies his physicality.
"He's tough, man," 49ers wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson said. "I love Will. That kid comes in, he works. He stayed here the whole offseason. He's the hammer in the running game.
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"Right now, he's been the most physical receiver, I'll tell you that much."
The 49ers signed Pauling as an undrafted rookie. His most-productive season of college football was in 2023 at Wisconsin, where he caught 74 passes for 837 yards and six touchdowns.
He averaged a career-best 14.7 yards per reception last year in his only season at Notre Dame.
Pauling needs to do a lot to stick on the 49ers' 53-man roster. That includes special teams. Although he was not used on punt returns in college, he is getting a lot of work with the 49ers this summer in that discipline.
The 49ers demand that their receivers are willing and effective blockers, and Pauling has turned heads.
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"No matter if he's going up against a D-end, a linebacker, or a DB, he's been sustaining blocks," Hankerson said. "And that shows up a lot."
Pauling had 155 receptions for 1,753 yards and 15 touchdowns in his 48-game college career that began at Cincinnati in 2021.
At the very least, he appears to be a strong candidate to stick around on the 49ers practice squad. But that is only if he does not make the 49ers' regular-season roster or another team does not claim him.
"I've been impressed with him," Hankerson said. "He's showing some speed, showing some ability to make plays, but he has to continue to work on his technique as far as not slipping. He fell down a couple times. We'll keep working with him there."
