49ers 7-round mock 2021 NFL Draft with only Big Ten players
. Wide Receiver . Hawkeyes . Ihmir Smith-Marsette. 117. player. 878
49ers Round 4 Pick, No. 117 Overall: Wide Receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette
An Iowa Hawkeyes pass-catcher in the middle rounds worked out once before. Why can’t lightning strike twice here?
Enter Hawkeye Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who has basically been a four-year starter for Iowa, a college football program that continues to underutilize its receivers as it focuses on running the football.
These numbers should tell us something about Smith-Marsette’s production.
During his freshman year, the Hawkeyes averaged 189.8 yards per game passing while the wideout pulled in 18 catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns. As a sophomore, the team averaged 226.6 yards per game and Smith-Marsette pulled down 23 receptions for 361 yards and three touchdowns.
His junior year was almost the same team output (228.9) while his production ballooned to 44 catches for 722 yards and five touchdowns. And during a COVID-shortened senior year, Iowa averaged a paltry 197.6 passing yards per game, with Smith-Marsette contributing 25 receptions for 345 yards and four touchdowns.
He’s also someone who could be called upon to return kicks, something the 49ers have been lacking in over the last several seasons, although he was exclusively a kick-off returner at Iowa.
All this to say, as we’ve seen with Niners tight end George Kittle, Iowa may not feature their pass-catchers much, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a diamond to be found.
Smith-Marsette isn’t a big guy at just over 6-foot tall, but he’s got excellent speed (he ran a 4.5 40 at his pro day) and could present another down-field threat for the new-look 49ers offense with Justin Fields at the helm.