49ers NFL Draft: 5 positions to address after free agency
By Peter Panacy
49ers NFL Draft Need No. 3: Wide Receiver
For the first time since arguably the early 2010s, the 49ers have a solid one-two punch at wide receiver with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel looking to play together as a fully healthy tandem.
That’s a great dynamic duo, yes, and it’ll certainly make life easier for Kyle Shanahan.
But after losing No. 3 wide receiver Kendrick Bourne to the New England Patriots in free agency, the remaining depth chart at the position is pretty much a tossup.
The Niners inked former Arizona Cardinals wideout Trent Sherfield to help out on special teams and potentially fill the void left by Bourne as a third-down weapon and red-zone target. Fellow receiver Richie James might see an uptick in use this season, too, especially after being featured primarily as a gadget weapon and return specialist only the past three years.
Yet to assume either of those two makes a solid impact this year is premature, and San Francisco can’t bank on its other two big-bodied receivers, Jalen Hurd and Jauan Jennings, to make much of a difference. At least not after Hurd missed the last two seasons with serious injuries and Jennings was relegated to the practice squad after floundering in training camp last year.
Fortunately, the 2021 NFL Draft has more than enough mid-to-late-round wide receiver prospects to target, and one should assume Shanahan will want to do so anyway.
- Terrace Marshall Jr., LSU
- Amari Rodgers, Clemson
- Sage Surratt, Wake Forest
- Marlon Williams, UCF
- Dazz Newsome, North Carolina
- Tamorrion Terry, Florida State