49ers post-free agency 7-round 2020 mock NFL Draft

The 49ers reportedly made and effort to land former Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper in NFL free agency, but Hooper elected to join the Cleveland Browns instead.

This suggests Kyle Shanahan wants to find a complementary weapon at the position to help All-Pro tight end George Kittle. And when one considers few teams are equipped to defend two pass-catching threats at this position, it makes sense why Shanahan would want a unique weapon to pair with San Francisco’s top offensive threat.

As far as day-three tight end targets go, few are as enticing as LSU’s Stephen Sullivan.

Sullivan, 6-foot-5 and 248 pounds, saw time with the Tigers as a wide receiver, and he acts like a big-bodied slot wideout on tape. He’s an excellent red-zone threat and isn’t afraid to go after contested catches.

The college production isn’t quite there — Sullivan never netted more than 370 receiving yards in a season at LSU — but this is the point of the draft where stats aren’t anywhere near as important.

One of the big knocks against Sullivan is his inadequate blocking abilities. He’s OK blocking in space, but one shouldn’t look to him for inline blocking help. It’s simply not there.

But if Shanahan’s desire to create a positionless offense has its influence, Sullivan could easily be the pick in Round 6.