Niner Noise
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2018 NFL Draft: 5 players the 49ers should avoid in Round 1

By Aaron Tan

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell speaks during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell speaks during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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STARKVILLE, MS – NOVEMBER 11: Calvin Ridley #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide catches a pass during the first half of an NCAA football game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS – NOVEMBER 11: Calvin Ridley #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide catches a pass during the first half of an NCAA football game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Wide Receiver Calvin Ridley, Alabama

Let me first say that I am a huge fan of Calvin Ridley.

I think that Ridley has been blessed with a true gift of making plays. There is just one word that describes Ridley — and that word is playmaker. This kid can create chunk plays that can instantly change the momentum of a game.

Please take a couple minutes to watch this guy show off his skills:

It pains me to say it, but the 49ers should avoid Ridley in the draft, and it is because he is 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds.

San Francisco already has plenty of small playmakers — receivers Marquise Goodwin, Trent Taylor and running back Matt Breida. Due to the team’s struggles in the red zone over the course of the season, what the 49ers need is a true red-zone threat, someone big like SMU receiver Courtland Sutton, who measures in at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds.

Kyle Shanahan needs his Julio Jones in San Francisco, and he can’t get that in Ridley. However, whichever team does draft him will be getting a special player.