5 players the 49ers would love to steal from other NFL teams

No. 2: Wide Receiver Julio Jones

Picking a receiver to swipe from another team provided endless possibilities. Just in the NFC alone, the temptation of taking DeAndre Hopkins from the Arizona Cardinals or the Saints’ Michael Thomas was tough to pass on.

After all, it would weaken a division opponent, or in New Orleans’ case, perhaps the biggest threat to the 49ers’ chances of returning to the Super Bowl.

But after some consideration, I landed on taking the Atlanta Falcons’ Julio Jones.

First, he is still one of the best receivers in all of football when healthy. He finished 2019 with 1,394 yards and six touchdowns for a Falcons team that was just 7-9. With Kyle Shanahan as his coordinator in 2016, Jones caught 83 passes for 1,409 yards and six scores, averaging a whopping 17 yards per catch. Second, he knows Shanahan’s system and thrived in it as the big target on the outside in that offense.

He could fill that same role with the 49ers,  and with the team still lacking a proven big target from the receiver position, Jones would be a big-play target at the WR1 position to complement tight end George Kittle. He could also provide a legitimate red-zone mismatch for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to utilize.

I’d bank on Jones carving up defenses with Shanahan scheming plays for him. It would allow single coverage on Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and the other Niner receivers. The 49er passing offense would not only be improved, it would be nearly unstoppable.