4 positions 49ers can wait to address in 2021 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Wide Receiver — 49ers have their top two but depth is needed
Last year’s wide receiver draft class was almost historic in nature. The crazy part is the 2021 NFL Draft is just as good, arguably a bit better and deeper.
San Francisco hit a home run with its second first-round pick in 2020, grabbing ASU wideout Brandon Aiyuk at No. 25 overall. He, along with fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel, have all but established themselves as Kyle Shanahan’s top two weapons at the position heading into 2021 and beyond.
From there on the 49ers roster, though, things get questionable.
Depth receivers Kendrick Bourne and Trent Taylor are both ticketed for NFL free agency, while second-year pro Jauan Jennings remains a work in progress. Fellow wideout Jalen Hurd hasn’t seen a regular-season snap because of injuries suffered the last two years.
Unless the Niners are banking on big years from Richie James and River Cracraft, some depth pieces would be wise.
Keyword: depth.
Central Florida’s Marlon Williams or Michigan’s Nico Collins could possibly be day-two selections in other years. But the depth of this class all but pushes them back into Round 4 at the soonest.
And either player could end up being a candidate to round out San Francisco’s receiver depth chart.