49ers NFL Draft 2021: 5 best targets available on Day 2
By Peter Panacy
player. 2390. . Wide Receiver. Mean Green . Jaelon Darden. 4
49ers Day 2 NFL Draft Target No. 4: Wide Receiver Jaelon Darden, North Texas
Kyle Shanahan figures to address the depth shortage the Niners have at wide receiver behind Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. And with an awfully deep class of wideouts in this year’s draft, day two could be the easy way to bolster this unit into an elite pass-catching corps, also factoring in tight end George Kittle, to help assist Trey Lance in future years.
Shanahan’s selection of Lance is a hint he wants San Francisco’s offense to be even more explosive, and few day-two receiving prospects in this year’s draft are as explosive as North Texas wide receiver Jaelon Darden.
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2017 | North Texas | CUSA | FR | WR | 13 | 32 | 281 | 8.8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 33 | 282 | 8.5 | 3 |
| *2018 | North Texas | CUSA | SO | WR | 13 | 48 | 575 | 12.0 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 5.3 | 0 | 51 | 591 | 11.6 | 4 |
| 2019 | North Texas | CUSA | JR | WR | 12 | 76 | 736 | 9.7 | 12 | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 78 | 749 | 9.6 | 12 |
| *2020 | North Texas | CUSA | SR | WR | 9 | 74 | 1190 | 16.1 | 19 | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | 0 | 75 | 1187 | 15.8 | 19 |
| Career | North Texas | 230 | 2782 | 12.1 | 38 | 7 | 27 | 3.9 | 0 | 237 | 2809 | 11.9 | 38 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 4/29/2021.
Darden showed improvement over each of his four years at the college level. But what makes the 5-foot-9, 179-pound wide receiver even more enticing as a likely Round 3 pick is just how explosive he can be with the ball in his hands.
True, Darden is undersized even for a slot receiver. But the 31 receiving touchdowns over the last two years is a pretty good indicator he’s a scoring threat anytime he touches the ball, and Darden’s elusiveness and speed combine to make him a tough tackle anyway.
The 49ers are still on the hunt for a quality slot receiver, and Darden can fill the void.
And even better, Darden has a great deal of returning experience, giving Shanahan an added weapon for a need the Niners have had ever since the head coach took over in 2017.