49ers 2019 mock NFL Draft: Assessing team needs over all 7 rounds
By Peter Panacy
Wide receiver might not be the most pressing need for the 49ers entering 2019.
Then again, it really could be.
San Francisco 49ers
None of the Niners wideouts have truly established themselves this season so far. The rookie, Dante Pettis, has yet to show he can take over for veteran Pierre Garçon next season despite being one of the best route runners from college football a season ago.
Even if Pettis emerges as such between now and 2019, the Niners still need some massive help in the red zone. Through four weeks, San Francisco is ranking 30th in red-zone touchdown efficiency. And none of its wide receivers are taller than 6-foot-1.
Standing at 6-foot-3, West Virginia wideout David Sills helps solve this. It’s impossible to overlook his 18-touchdown campaign from 2018, and he’s already on pace to surpass that mark this season with five scores in four contests.
The one question mark with Sills, however, is he doesn’t exactly have the speed head coach Kyle Shanahan prefers his receiving targets to possess. Sills is likely to run a sub-4.60 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine this spring.
Regardless, the catching ability within confined spaces is something the 49ers need to address.
Sills solves that.