What Should We Expect From WR Mario Manningham and CB Eric Wright?

The San Francisco 49ers recently activated Eric Wright and Mario Manningham, both of whom could be getting playing time as soon as this week but what exactly are they capable of?
Well for starters, Mario Manningham has a tendency to make tough plays that can lead to big momentum swings.  He also plays the sideline extremely well and does a decent job at eating up the turf with his 13.7 yards per reception in his career.  People like to point out that this number decreased when he was on the Niners last season but that’s only because Alex Smith, someone who works down the field through conservative play, was throwing him the ball for most of the season.  Kaepernick on the hand, has a much stronger arm and will take advantage of using the deep ball.  Manningham should help spread the field and require respect from defenses which will inevitably aid Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis, and Vance McDonald.  Our previous secondary wide receiver, Kyle Williams, failed to do that.  Although he possesses excellent speed, he was not a successful burner.  The young and petit receiver was simply not getting the job done because he had difficulties in catching the ball.  This is where the distinct difference between the two receivers lie as Manningham’s reliability is what makes him special.  This attribute is highlighted by the fact that he was accredited with only one drop last season while managing to reel in 42 passes on 57 targets (12 of 13 when Kaepernick was at the helm).  With Manningham’s consistency, Kaepernick should feel more confident on critical passing plays (more specifically on third downs) as the young quarterback gets a nice toy to play with.  In the end, Manningham has shown flashes of brilliance in the big playmaking department with dependability that would make everyone on his team feel more comfortable in dire situations.  The returning wideout won’t change the dynamic of the offense as the Niners will remain a run-first team with the power game working effectively.  He won’t even help the passing game regain its elite status but his recovery should be a morale victory until Michael Crabtree comes back.  When that happens, this otherwise depleted receiving corps will suddenly become stacked.  Can you imagine how much a defensive coordinator will tremble when they realize that they have to go up against the a 49ers team that has so many weapons to utilize? 

Frankly speaking, the cornerback position will need additional help come playoff time where the 49ers will often find themselves facing elite quarterbacks.  Although he is not well-known, Eric Wright could have a bigger impact for this team going forward than Mr. Manningham.  Last year he had a subpar season (at least compared to his others) but much of that blame could be placed on the fact that he faced a four game suspension and battled injuries.   Despite that, he still didn’t give up a touchdown.  Most of his struggles lie in his inability to help in the run game but that weakness should be covered by the rest of the 49ers who have one of the most dominating front seven in the game.  A big positive Wright does bring to the table are the turnovers he forces.  He’s had one season where he has gotten three interceptions, and two seasons where he had four.  Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio doesn’t like using overload blitzes, so adding another player who can catch balls in the secondary is essential. If he returns to form of when how he was when he was on the Browns and Lions, the 49ers will get a huge upgrade at the position.  His ceiling is probably a great CB #2 but he won’t be as good as Tim Jennings (Bears), Sam Shields (Packers), Brandon Browner (Seahawks), Kareem Jackson (Texans), or Adam Jones (Bengals).

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