49ers Draft: Wide Receiver — Prospecting for Red-Zone Gold

Red-Zone Threats

When the offense finds itself with a short 20-yard field it needs to traverse to get to the goal line, smaller and faster wide receivers become much less effective, due to the lack of stretching out the opposing defense deep.

A condensed defensive secondary is much more vulnerable at this point to larger, big catch-radius, jump-ball-type guys — players who have a knack for catching contested passes and fighting through the coverage.

We are going to look WR prospects who fit the red-zone threat criteria from each day of the draft. With San Francisco playing its cards close to chest, it is difficult to know when the team will address this position.

The following five players could be targets on their respective projected days of the draft:

Day One

A true No. 1 receiver has all the tools and is on the field regardless of the situation.

In the 2017 NFL Draft, there are only two prospects to potentially fit this mold. Clemson WR Mike Williams and Western Michigan WR Corey Davis are both large-bodied pass-catchers with great hands, who can go up and come down with the contested catches.

Out of the two of them, I have Davis as the hands-down front-runner. As a matter of fact, I believe he is the most likely prospect in this years’ draft to become a superstar first and here is why.

Davis could have come out last year but elected to stay and play for his full four years of college. A full four years that produced 5,278 receiving yards, the most in NCAA history.

He was productive every year he played at Western Michigan and got better each year. In 2016 Davis put an exclamation point on his college career with 1,500 yards, 97 receptions and 19 touchdowns.

Davis has developed into a very polished route-runner and consistently makes tough catches while being contested.

When I watched him against Wisconsin in the 2016 Cotton Bowl, he was undoubtedly facing the strongest competition yet in his career. His numbers were not huge but he was a constant factor in the game.

In the Cotton Bowl, Davis found himself open or able to receive the ball quite often and produced when the quarterback and offensive line could get it to him. This makes you wonder what could have been if he played for a top-10 offense.

When I compare him to Williams, I see the ability to do more after the catch, superior route-running knowledge and arguably better hands. They both have skills making plays on the ball. Williams is a little bit bigger, but Davis’ experience, knowledge and pro-readiness put him on top.

They both have a gift for making spectacular catches and urge you to watch their highlight reels.

The likelihood of the 49ers using the second pick on day one for either of these prospects is unlikely. The only way I see San Francisco selecting a wide receiver in the first round is if it trades up to get him mid to late in Round 1.

There are only a few players this year that I feel are worth a trade-up to get on day one, and Davis is one of them.