49ers roster: 3 cheap free-agent wide receivers who can still help
By Peter Panacy
49ers Target No. 2: Laquon Treadwell
The last four years, Kendrick Bourne occupied the No. 3 spot on the 49ers depth chart and was a quality third-down target and red-zone option, the epitome of a possession receiver.
Bourne didn’t exactly have speed on his side. But his hands were mostly reliable (despite what Twitter and Facebook tell you), and his physicality made him a reliable option who was capable of two or three key catches per game.
If the Niners are solely looking to replace that kind of production, going after free-agent wide receiver Laquon Treadwell.
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A former first-round NFL Draft pick, Treadwell will likely never live up to his pre-draft hype. He was mostly an afterthought over his first four years with the Minnesota Vikings, and his one-year flier with the Atlanta Falcons last year was limited to just five games where he had only six receptions for 49 yards and two touchdowns while bouncing back and forth on the practice squad.
Speaking of his four career touchdowns, though, three of them have come within the red zone. That might be the kind of player San Francisco could use, particularly in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Like Bourne, Treadwell isn’t fast. But his 6-foot-2 and 215-pound frame helps with the physicality aspect in the tight confines of the red zone.