Part Five of Niner Noise’s Assessment on the 49ers 2016 NFL Draft Needs: Wide Receiver

The final part of Niner Noise’s review of NFL.com’s San Francisco 49ers needs in the 2016 NFL Draft focuses on wide receiver. With Anquan Boldin not re-signed, the Niners have one true-threat wideout on the roster in Torrey Smith. The others are unreliable at best.

This may be the final edition of Niner Noise’s take on NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s piece on the top-five needs for all 32 teams’ needs for the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft, but it doesn’t mean the San Francisco 49ers are simply limited to the five we’ve covered so far.

We’ll cover wide receivers and the Niners’ need for them this upcoming season. It’s a position of great interest and intrigue, given head coach Chip Kelly’s offense. Yet it’s not without question marks or concern.

San Francisco’s need for wideouts this offseason is mostly independent from whether or not the team elects to bring back veteran receiver Anquan Boldin for another year in Santa Clara.

Boldin remains a free agent, although it’s still possible he re-signs with the 49ers. But he’ll turn 36 years old in October and, if the 49ers are trying the whole “youth movement” thing, the aging veteran may not fit into the Niners’ plans.

Still, Boldin led all 49ers receiving targets last year with 69 receptions, 789 yards and four touchdowns in what was otherwise an inept and underwhelming offense.

Complementing him was San Francisco’s 2015 big free-agent acquisition Torrey Smith.

Smith may fit more into Kelly’s plans, considering his speed, but last season shouldn’t be used as an indication of what to expect for 2016. Last year, Smith posted 33 grabs for 663 yards and four touchdowns — all career lows. But it’s safe to say the 49ers didn’t exactly utilize him properly under then-offensive coordinator Geep Chryst.

The problem with the 49ers’ receiver corps is it lacks proven depth. Even if Boldin returns, the Niners don’t exactly have a long-term answer in place.

Let’s take a look at the remaining cast of San Francisco wideouts.

Quinton Patton and Bruce Ellington each entered the league as fourth-round draft picks. And both have seen their respective pro careers marred by injuries and inconsistent play.

Yes, 2015 was Patton’s best year at the NFL level. Yet he amounted to just 30 catches for 394 yards and a touchdown.

And who could forget this:

That was just one of a few questionable moves by Patton last year. While he occasionally flashes moments of brilliance, they are often paralleled by poor decision-making.

Decisions haven’t exactly been a problem for Ellington, but he’s also seen his fair share of limitations and failure on the field.

Even more of a concern is Ellington’s small size. At 5’9″ and 197 pounds, it’s not exactly right to call Ellington a big-bodied receiving target. And, according to Eric Branch of SFGate.com, Kelly likes big targets on offense.

Kelly did note later, via Branch, he was intrigued by Ellington’s skill set though.

Regardless, neither Ellington nor Patton have shown the type of consistency for which one would hope when evaluating the Niners’ future at the position. Yes, both still have youth and potential on their side. But at what point do the 49ers elect to move on from what has been an inconsistent experiment thus far?

And the remaining group of receivers shares question marks as well.

In addition to the aforementioned cast, the Niners employ receivers Dres Anderson, DiAndre Campbell, Eric Rogers, Jerome Simpson, DeAndre Smelter and DeAndrew White.

Out of that bunch, Smelter may have the most promise. He missed his rookie season last year while recovering from a collegiate knee injury. But, as recent history with general manager Trent Baalke’s injury stashes have revealed, it’s impossible to speculate anything great will come of Smelter returning to on-field action.

Unfortunately, this year’s draft class isn’t as deep at wide receiver as it was last year or the season prior. Yet there are some still bona fide talents out there.

Here are the top 10, according to CBS Sports:

1. Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
2. Corey Coleman, Baylor
3. Will Fuller, Notre Dame
4. Josh Doctson, TCU
5. Tyler Boyd, Pittsburgh
6. Michael Thomas, Ohio State
7. Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
8. Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma
9. Braxton Miller, Ohio State
10. Rashard Higgins, Colorado State

Despite not participating in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, Ole Miss wideout Laquon Treadwell remains the top wideout in the draft.

The 49ers could go this route with their first-round pick if they wanted, but there may be some better value later on in the draft. TCU’s Josh Doctson may be a nice pickup in Round 2, and there’s the raw-but-promising potential of Ohio State’s Braxton Miller — a late second- or early third-round pick, according to CBS Sports.

Not included on the above list is Rutgers receiver Leonte Carroo, with whom the 49ers held a private workout.

Carroo may have the best hands in the draft and, while he has some off-the-field concerns, the 6’0″, 211-pound receiver could wind up being the perfect complement to Smith and a long-term replacement for Boldin.

What’s clear is this — unless the 49ers want to bank on Kelly maximizing the abilities of guys like Patton and Ellington and/or hoping Smelter turns into something special after a year away from football, they’ll need to address the wide receiver position at some point in the first half of the draft.

There are some good mid-round options though, such as Carroo, which would save the 49ers’ earlier picks to address other areas of need.

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And if San Francisco decides to spend its first pick on Treadwell, the discussion will likely be put to rest.

Remember, this is a 49ers team which ranked third from the bottom in total receiving yards last year (3,316) and was in the same slate for passing touchdowns (16).

So addressing this crucial playmaking position isn’t something San Francisco can take lightly.

Next: 49ers Should Draft Laquon Treadwell if Kap Stays Put

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.