49ers take Justin Fields, trade around in final mock NFL Draft

Round 5, Pick No. 180 Overall (Compensatory): 49ers select wide receiver Shi Smith, South Carolina

The Niners also haven’t grabbed a wide receiver up to this point despite the need to add some depth behind returning veterans, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

This need is essentially twofold: San Francisco is looking to get a quality No. 3 option in the wake of Kendrick Bourne leaving for the New England Patriots in free agency and to find someone who can lock down a slot role, given there aren’t exactly a lot of proven commodities there, currently, on the depth chart.

So, why not reunite Samuel with his former South Carolina teammate, wide receiver Shi Smith?

Smith, 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, isn’t as tough as Samuel. But Smith is a quality route-runner with some serious elusiveness. Those traits helped him be a constant over his four years with the Gamecocks where he averaged 12.7 yards per reception and finished his senior year with a respectable 633 receiving yards and four touchdowns despite not exactly having the best passing offense at his disposal.

Plus, Smith also served as a viable kick-return specialist, and the 49ers should be exploring some upgrades for this void, too, making Smith a worthy addition in the middle of day three.