San Francisco 49ers: 5 sleeper wide receivers to target in NFL Draft

The 49ers will likely want to dip into a deep 2021 NFL Draft class for some wide receiver help, and these day-three targets could be of interest.

Despite the San Francisco 49ers already having their top two wide receivers set for 2021, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, it’s hard not to envision head coach Kyle Shanahan wanting to dip into what’s being viewed as one of the deepest NFL Draft classes at the position in recent memory.

Perhaps a class even deeper and more talented than the already-impressive one which helped the Niners land Aiyuk a year ago at the end of Round 1.

While it doesn’t seem likely San Francisco will use a first- or even a second-round pick on a wide receiver, given the team’s other pressing needs elsewhere, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Shanahan and general manager John Lynch target some receiving prospects between Rounds 4 and 7.

There are, after all, some talented wideouts projected to go in those rounds who may have been day-two selections in other thinner draft classes.

And it isn’t as if San Francisco is set at wide receiver behind Aiyuk and Samuel. Kendrick Bourne and Trent Taylor are both free agents. Last year’s rookie, Jauan Jennings, remains a work in progress, and third-year pro Jalen Hurd has dealt with serious injuries over the last two years, essentially leaving Richie James and River Cracraft as the only two bona fide options on the roster behind the starting duo.

Now armed with seven picks on day three of the NFL Draft, it almost seems to be a guarantee the 49ers go after some wide receivers at that point to bolster the depth chart.

And here are five day-three targets they can hone in on.