Jacob

Cowing

Fourth-round rookie Cowing doubled his previous season production in a game where the 49ers were missing Deebo Samuel and lost Jauan Jennings to a second quarter ejection. A month shy of his 24th birthday, Cowing doesn’t have the worst draft pedigree, but his age and size (5-foot-9) limit his upside even with the future of the receiver position uncertain in San Francisco via Deebo’s contract status and Brandon Aiyuk’s knee injury.

Cowing saw second half playing time after Brandon Aiyuk went down with a serious knee injury. The speedster came down with a 41-yard grab from Brock Purdy — the biggest play of the day for the struggling San Francisco offense. Cowing could see a boost in playing time if Aiyuk is out in Week 8 and beyond. Most likely he’ll function as a deep ball specialist.

Cowing was largely contributing as a special teams player before exiting. Kyle Juszczyk correspondingly fielded his first career punt return.

The Athletic’s Matt Barrows reports “Cowing continues to stand out in practice” and expects both Cowing and veteran Chris Conley to secure the Nos. 5 and 6 wide receiver jobs. Cowing was promisingly held out of the 49ers preseason Week 1 game before catching 4-of-5 targets for 51 yards in preseason Week 2. The showing included two missed tackles forced, one contested catch, one explosive pass play and three first downs gained. The 49ers drafted him in the 2024 NFL draft’s fourth round.

The former Louisville running back blew away the combine earlier this year, running a 4.33 40-yard dash at 6'0/221 while also dominating in explosiveness and agility testing. His 9.89 RAS is one of the best in the metric’s history and likely played a role in the 49ers moving up to select him in the fourth round. Guerendo has a limited production profile, rushing for 231-1392-17 over five college seasons. He also caught 42 passes for 358 yards and 1 touchdown. It’s possible he develops into an intriguing handcuff behind Christian McCaffrey for the upcoming season, although several veterans do stand in his way. He’s best viewed as a dynasty stash as he works to carve out a role. In addition to Guerendo, the 49ers also signed CB Rendardo Green and WR Jacob Cowing.

Cowing (5’8/168) earned starting reps out of the gate during his days at UTEP. He started nine of the 12 games he appeared in as a freshman and went for 31-550-3 (17.7 YPR) while playing 98.9 percent of his snaps from the slot. He would break out for 69-1361-7 in 2021, his final season with the Miners, only to transfer to Arizona, where he spent his final two years of college. Cowing boasts 4.38 speed and averaged 14.3 YPR for his career while playing almost exclusively as a slot receiver – an impressive feat for a player at that position. With that said, his efficiency took a noticeable dip once he transferred to a Power Five program, and his underwhelming size could make life difficult for him as a pro. Limited work on special teams could help him carve out a role in the NFL even if he’s not a frequent contributor on offense.

The former Miner is about to become a Wildcat. Cowing (5'11/170) had narrowed his decision down to five teams before committing to Arizona on Monday. Last season, Cowing was a stud for the Miners, amassing 1,354 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. This has been quite the offseason for the Wildcats. Coming off a 1-11 season, head coach Jedd Fisch has them sitting with the 24th-ranked recruiting class for 2022, just ahead of the likes of Clemson, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma State. Cowing will be a welcomed addition an offense that struggled through the air, using four different quarterbacks throughout the season.

Cowing (5'11/170) suffered the injury during a catch in the 44-23 loss to UTSA. He got up, immediately grabbed his right shoulder, went to the ground once he arrived on the sidelines, and went to the locker room for additional treatment. He later returned with no jersey or pads and an ice bag taped to his shoulder. Head coach Dana Dimel said after the game that Cowing is “fine” and will be available to play next week. UTEP has taken a recent slide with back-to-back losses, and losing their best pass-catcher would be been a big blow. UTEP will go on the road to take on North Texas.

Cowing (5'11/170) suffered the injury on a reception, and he immediately grabbed his right shoulder and crumpled to the ground once he arrived on the sidelines. After some attention on the bench, he went to the locker room for additional treatment. He returned with no jersey or pads with an ice bag taped to his shoulder. Cowing had five catches for 112 yards with one run for 10 yards before departing. It’s uncertain if he’ll be ready for next Saturday’s game at North Texas.

Cowing (5'11/170) posted 18.4 yards per reception, which was actually slightly lower than his 23.4-yard average. That’s how good of a season he is having. Cowing has posted 112 or more yards in five of his seven games, and he has four or more receptions in five of his seven outings, too. Cowing scored in each of his first four contests, but he has been blanked in the past three. That’s about the only thing not going right for Cowing. The Miners are off next week before a trip to FAU on Oct. 30.