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49ers 2020 NFL Draft needs: Ranking top 5 wide receiver options

By Timmy Gibson

NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 23: Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb #2 of the Oklahoma Sooners warms up before a game against the TCU Horned Frogs on November 23, 2019 at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. OU held on to win 28-24. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 23: Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb #2 of the Oklahoma Sooners warms up before a game against the TCU Horned Frogs on November 23, 2019 at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. OU held on to win 28-24. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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Laviska Shenault Jr. #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Laviska Shenault Jr. #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

857. . Wide Receiver. Buffaloes . Laviska Shenault. 3. player

Coming in at No. 3 on these rankings is Laviska Shenault from the University of Colorado. Shenault is a little smaller than some of the other receivers on this list, at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds. Shenault is a junior and had relatively modest numbers this past season.

However, Shenault is an athletic beast and a near-perfect fit for the 49ers offense. He is a yards- after-the-catch monster with great hands. Additionally, some of his highlights below show him running the ball out of the backfield, something the 49ers love to ask of their receivers. Shenault has the athletic ability and versatility the Niners love in their receivers.

Additionally, Shenault has the size to enable him to be the type of big-bodied receiver the Niners need. Shenault’s abilities and size line up nearly perfectly with what the 49ers need in their offense, and how they like to use their receivers.

One of the biggest knocks against Shenault is that he is not the most polished route runner. However, the Niners under Shanahan have shown that they are less interested in polished route-running skills out of college, and more interested in raw abilities that can be trained into route-running skills, and Shenault certainly has those.

Quite frankly, out of the receivers that the Niners have a chance to get without trading the farm to move up in the draft, Shenault may be the best fit in this draft class. He has all the abilities the Niners want in their receivers and would be an incredible weapon in their creative offense.