5 sleeper targets for 49ers on day three of 2020 NFL Draft

The 49ers reportedly made an effort to land former Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper in free agency, although he ultimately elected to join the Cleveland Browns instead.

This suggests San Francisco wants a dynamic pass-catching weapon to pair with George Kittle. As it stands now, the only other two options on Kyle Shanahan’s roster are Ross Dwelley and Daniel Hahn.

Dwelley has his upsides, yes. But if the Niners want a low-risk gamble on a developmental prospect, they could do far worse than go after the 6-foot-5 Stephen Sullivan out of LSU.

Sullivan recently converted from a big-bodied wide receiver to tight end last season, and his inline blocking is severely lacking as a result. Regardless, his long limbs and ability to fight for contested passes helps solve an issue the Niners have had ever since Shanahan took over: scoring in the red zone.

True, the 49ers already have a tight end-like wide receiver in Jalen Hurd. But with Hurd never having taken a regular-season snap at the pro level, a player like Sullivan could wind up being yet another low-risk commodity to target with plenty of playmaking upside.