Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: 2019 NFL Draft tracker with grades and analysis

By Chris Wilson

"THE PICK IS IN" for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2018 NFL Draft (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
"THE PICK IS IN" for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2018 NFL Draft (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 9
Next
COLUMBIA, MO – SEPTEMBER 9: Deebo Samuel #1 of the South Carolina Gamecocks waits with teammate to take to the field prior to a game against the Missouri Tigers in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MO – SEPTEMBER 9: Deebo Samuel #1 of the South Carolina Gamecocks waits with teammate to take to the field prior to a game against the Missouri Tigers in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The 49ers needed a wide receiver, particularly after no Niners wideout reached 500 receiving yards in 2018.

So, with a number of receivers falling into Round 2 of the draft, San Francisco elected to grab one of the more enticing prospects in this year’s class, South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel at No. 36 overall.

Samuel, 5-foot-11 and 214 pounds, is one of the more physical receivers in this year’s class. He might not be tall, of course, but head coach Kyle Shanahan has never prioritized height in his receivers anyway.

What makes Samuel an intriguing pick for the 49ers is the fact he has excellent separation skills, which were on display during the 2019 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. While there, Samuel worked under Shanahan’s South squad and showed the head coach firsthand what his abilities were.

Those clearly drew enough attention.

There were other players of better value here, namely LSU cornerback Greedy Williams, who slipped out of Round 1. That said, the Niners have shown repeated interest in Samuel in recent weeks, so the move makes a lot of sense.

Grade: B