NFL free agency: 5 players the 49ers should target in 2018
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Tight End Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks
On the surface, the 49ers don’t appear to need tight ends this offseason. After all, rookie TE George Kittle might be a nice long-term fixture. So why would San Francisco want to dip into free agency to find some upgrades here?
Well, Kittle has been nice, but we haven’t seen the kind of explosive production we hoped we’d see when he came out of Iowa. Outside of his seven-catch, 83-yard performance against the Indianapolis Colts back in Week 5.
Kittle is also tied for the team lead in drops (five) this season, which doesn’t help his stock.
A possible target on the free-agent market is Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham, 31 years old, has never come close to replicating the same success he enjoyed previously with the New Orleans Saints.
This could help drop his asking price a bit, but consider the addition to San Francisco’s offense.
Graham is an immediate red-zone threat — an element the Niners will need, and his middle-of-the-field routes are ideal for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
And if we’re buying into the Garoppolo-New England Patriots comparisons (i.e. slot receivers Julian Edelman, NE and Trent Taylor, SF), it’s not hard to connect the dots to a Rob Gronkowski-like player in a 49ers uniform.