49ers’ Brandon Lloyd battling to be No. 3

A year removed from any NFL action, wide receiver Brandon Lloyd faces a stiff challenge in trying to crack the San Francisco 49ers suddenly-stacked receiving corps.

Coach Jim Harbaugh says the 11-year veteran is tackling that challenge not only with athleticism, but through rigorous off-field work as well.

Speaking to members of the media before Wednesday’s practice, Harbaugh praised Lloyd’s work during meetings, as well as his unique method of putting principles into practice:

“He’ll be sitting in his chair watching the tape, and go through his route. And all of a sudden here comes a swim move, you know, or a slap of the arm and then sometimes he’ll stand up and, you know, it’s a jab step.”

Lloyd caught 74 passes for 911 yards and four touchdowns during his 2012 season with the New England Patriots. He came into camp as underdog to win the No. 3 receiver role against the likes of Stevie Johnson and Quinton Patton, with his work ethic has certainly caught the attention of Harbaugh:

“I mean, I’ve never seen a guy at any level go through a meeting like that. And it just makes me giggle and giddy to watch him do it. Wish I had seen that earlier in my career and could’ve adopted that into my meeting game. It’s awesome, it’s awesome.”

Lloyd’s hard work is starting to show up in practice as well. The 33-year old receiver has had a strong training camp, displaying good hands and explosions of athleticism.

Now in his second stint with the team, Lloyd is looking to revitalize his career — also for the second time. Though he continues to impress, he will have to be an significant asset to the team in order to stay on the roster without contributing to special teams.

The dynamic receiver has seemingly found a strong supporter for remaining with the team in Harbaugh:

“Guy’s led the league in receiving. He’s had some tremendous years for a reason. He’s very talented, great effort and execution has always been there as a player. There’s only three things you can be known for as a football player, and his are at the highest level.”

Follow @SFBay and @ShawnWhelchel on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of the San Francisco 49ers.