Niner Noise
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NFL free agency: Top 5 players the 49ers should target in 2019

By Peter Panacy

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 08: Free safety Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers on December 8, 2013 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won 19-17. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 08: Free safety Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers on December 8, 2013 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won 19-17. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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JACKSONVILLE, FL – SEPTEMBER 30: Donte Moncrief #10 of the Jacksonville Jaguars catches a 67 touchdown reception during the second half against the New York Jets at TIAA Bank Field on September 30, 2018 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL – SEPTEMBER 30: Donte Moncrief #10 of the Jacksonville Jaguars catches a 67 touchdown reception during the second half against the New York Jets at TIAA Bank Field on September 30, 2018 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /

No. 5: Wide Receiver Donte Moncrief

This wouldn’t be the flashiest of signings but a beneficial one, nonetheless.

The 49ers’ crop of wide receivers have vastly underachieved this season, and SFGate.com’s Eric Branch’s tweet after Week 5 illustrated just how disappointing the Niners wideouts have been so far:

There have been injuries to this position. A lot of them. Receivers Marquise Goodwin, Pierre Garçon and Dante Pettis have all missed time with varying injuries, which has forced Kyle Shanahan to rely heavily on his depth options. And the results haven’t exactly worked out.

Taking a look at now-Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Donte Moncrief doesn’t immediately make this crop elite. And the 25-year-old Moncrief has had just one 700-yard receiving season in his career (2015 with the Indianapolis Colts). Yet if one figures the Colts’ offensive woes since then, it makes sense.

And Moncrief is on his way to possibly reaching a 1,000-yard season in Jacksonville right now.

But the kicker is this — Moncrief is 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, which makes him an excellent red-zone weapon.

With San Francisco ranking 26th in red-zone touchdown efficiency so far in 2018, one can see the fit.