49ers 2019 NFL Draft needs: Power ranking top 5 wide receivers
By Peter Panacy
Unlike J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, NC State’s Kelvin Harmon did participate in drills at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Of note, however, is the 6-foot-2 and 221-pound Harmon’s 40-yard time stood at 4.60, which reinforces the notion he has only average speed at best. And if there’s one thing Kyle Shanahan likes in his receivers, it’s speed and separation over sheer size.
Harmon certainly has the latter and should be viewed as one of the more physical wideouts in this year’s NFL Draft. That should have some merits, as the Niners head into 2019 lacking a true physical Z receiver on the outside.
Plus, Harmon’s production over the last two years as NC State is commendable:
| Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2016 | North Carolina State | ACC | FR | WR | 10 | 27 | 462 | 17.1 | 5 |
| *2017 | North Carolina State | ACC | SO | WR | 13 | 69 | 1017 | 14.7 | 4 |
| *2018 | North Carolina State | ACC | JR | WR | 12 | 81 | 1186 | 14.6 | 7 |
| Career | North Carolina State | 177 | 2665 | 15.1 | 16 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 3/6/2019.
Related Story. 49ers 2019 NFL Draft profile: WR Kelvin Harmon. light
Harmon looks to be the part of a reliable target, capable of getting into soft spots in coverage and making grabs with solid hand work.
But the one major thing keeping him from rising any higher on this prospect ranking is him not being the elusive-type receiver, who’ll pick up more yardage after the catch.
Right now, Harmon is on the fringes of Rounds 1 and 2, which could keep him on San Francisco’s radar at No. 36 overall.