10 things the 49ers need to do to reach the Super Bowl in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 7: Find a True No. 1 Wide Receiver
There’s a good argument Super Bowls aren’t won today with elite wide receivers. True, Patriots wideout Julian Edelman won Super Bowl LIII MVP accolades with an impressive performance. But he didn’t exactly carry his team through the regular season.
And when was the last time a Super Bowl-winning team needed a top-tier receiver?
That said, it’s silly to assume any team would rather not have a bona fide impact stud at the position. Elite-level wide receivers do a lot for an offense regardless whether or not they’re impacting the stat sheet. Defenses are forced to respect their potential impact, often scheming against them and opening up opportunities elsewhere.
The 49ers lack that kind of receiver. It’s possible 2018 rookie Dante Pettis emerges as that kind of threat, but he’s not there just yet.
Plus, when you factor in no Niners wideout crested over 500 yards last season, it’s pretty clear just how badly San Francisco needs to get some production here.
Perhaps the 49ers make that trade for Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown. Maybe they don’t, electing to grab someone in the NFL Draft instead. It’s a deep class, after all, filled with big-bodied targets that would vastly improve Kyle Shanahan’s offense.