Pro Football Focus gives 49ers WR Tyler Johnson in mock NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers are likely going to target a wide receiver in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, and Pro Football Focus’ latest mock suggests it’s Minnesota’s Tyler Johnson.

There have been plenty of wide receivers pegged to the San Francisco 49ers leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft.

Some of the names worth looking at are Clemson’s Tee Higgins, TCU’s Jalen Reagor, LSU’s Justin Jefferson and, among the pipe dreams, someone like Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III, who likely pushed himself far above the Niners’ first pick in the draft at No. 31 overall.

One name many a mock draft hasn’t mentioned to San Francisco, however, is Minnesota’s Tyler Johnson.

Yet that’s who Pro Football Focus thinks could land with the 49ers this offseason, as broken down in their latest mock draft:

"The 49ers don’t have any glaring issues, so long as Patrick Mahomes isn’t on the other sideline. George Kittle and Deebo Samuel are both tremendous receiving options, but a third guy would sure be nice to have. Johnson earned the highest grade of any wide receiver in the FBS last season, and his production and route-running ability should allow him to excel in the Shanahan offense."

On the outset, the analysis looks spot on. The Niners could use another pass-catching weapon to complement Samuel and Kittle. With veteran wideout Emmanuel Sanders poised to hit free agency in just over a week, one would think getting a younger option would be worth an early round pick.

Johnson, 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, plays both craftiness and a never-ending desire to get the ball. In some ways, he emulates a former 49ers receiver, Anquan Boldin, with his ability to go after contested passes while using excellent body control to fight for 50-50 balls.

The problem, though, is Johnson isn’t exactly known for his top-end speed. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has traditionally put two priorities on his receivers: speed and route-running abilities. And while Johnson has the latter, being able to beat defensive backs in a foot race hasn’t been his forte.

Still, it’s hard to deny his production at the college level:

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 3/9/2020.

Johnson also might not be quite as physical as he’d need to be, considering the top-end speed isn’t quite there. It would be one thing if he made up for the relatively pedestrian speed levels with strength and dominant physical abilities, but those aren’t exactly his known traits.

And there’s another issue, too. It’s a strong possibility Johnson winds up going in the middle of Round 2, making this San Francisco first-round selection a bit of a reach.

Granted, the Niners don’t own a pick in Rounds 2, 3 or 4. So if the team can’t trade down, there’s always the chance general manager John Lynch reaches for a player simply because he’s high up on his draft board.

Either way, Johnson isn’t a player many 49ers circles are looking at right now.

But PFF seems to think he’ll be a fit, which at least puts him on the radar to watch when the 2020 NFL Draft kicks off on April 23.