How T.O. plans on helping son Terique stand out as 49ers UDFA originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Terique Owens has a tough road ahead to make the 49ers’ roster as an undrafted free agent, but he’ll have plenty of help from his dad, Terrell Owens, along the way.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer and former 49ers receiver joined 95.7 The Game on Monday, where he explained how Terique has a “leg up” on the competition if the young wide receiver takes his father’s advice.
“Number one, the physical attributes,” Terrell told “The Morning Roast” (h/t 49ers Webzone) “You think about the long arms, just his size. He’s [listed at 6-3], 200 pounds. And as I did, he’ll get better, he’ll get bigger, he’ll get stronger. Obviously, he’ll get faster. A lot of people, they’re going to probably sleep on his speed. We’ve been working on, really, the fundamentals and the basics of route running, the transition, getting in and out of the routes.
“Again, as far as the playmaking ability, [it’s] got to come. Once he gets everything down, he’ll go into camp [this] week. He’s already started to take some of the online classes with [receivers] coach [Leonard] Hankerson, just to kind of dial in on the plays, things of that nature, just some of the verbiage, and some of the things that I can really assist on — understanding the routes and the formations.
“Those are some of the things, again, we all had to go through as a rookie, and he’s going to go through that as well. So again, I’ve already told him, having me as a dad, it has nothing to do with the playmaking ability or anything of that nature. I told him I’m like having the answers to the test, and so if he’s smart enough to actually lean on me, he has a foot up and a leg up on a lot of the competition.”
The 49ers signed Terique as a UDFA following the 2024 NFL Draft, which also featured the sons of other 49ers legends like Frank Gore and Jerry Rice. Jerry’s son Brenden was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round, while Frank Gore Jr. signed with the Buffalo Bills as a UDFA.
Terique began his college career in the Bay Area at Contra Costa College before transferring to Florida Atlantic University and Missouri State, where he spent the final three seasons of his NCAA career.
The 6-foot-3, 193-pound receiver caught 28 passes for 528 yards and four touchdowns in 2023, averaging 18.9 yards per reception, and also took part in the 49ers’ local pro day on April 10 at Levi’s Stadium. Terique’s last name, of course, already is well known in the Bay, where Terrell played his first eight NFL seasons with the 49ers from 1996 to 2003.
While San Francisco must have seen potential in Terique during that pro day, his task of making the 49ers’ roster for the 2024 NFL season is a tough one with a wide receivers room including Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell, Trent Taylor, Danny Gray, and Tay Martin, not to mention ’24 draft picks Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.
But with his father in his corner, Terique has an advantage of learning from the best, along with his new 49ers coaches.
“As far as my son is concerned, hey, if he can come in, learn the offense — and that’s what I told him first — learn everything first, and then your playmaking ability, that’ll take care of itself,” Terrell said. “Sometimes, it’s not all about the most athletic. It’s all about who knows the most and who’s the most reliable.
“All of that will kind of kind of play itself out.”
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast
This embedded content is not available in your region.
