49ers roster: Rookie Danny Gray is the speed threat Niners need

The 49ers hope their third-round NFL Draft choice from 2022, wide receiver Danny Gray, can become the vertical field-stretching element the offense needs to truly take off.

It makes perfect sense why the San Francisco 49ers used their second of two third-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft on former SMU wide receiver Danny Gray.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan already had his primary weapon in All-Pro Deebo Samuel, while also boasting a man-coverage beating wideout in Brandon Aiyuk. Two-year pro Jauan Jennings, a third-down weapon with physicality, came on strong with some awfully big catches last year, too.

What was needed, however, was a vertical threat, someone capable of using speed to take the tops off opposing defenses.

Enter Gray and his blazing-fast 4.33 40-yard time from the NFL Scouting Combine.

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 6/14/2022.

Granted, Gray was never one of those otherworldly collegiate receivers who already had a ton of praise and hype entering draft season. Yet the 6-foot-1, 180-pound wideout has the attribute Shanahan needed to replicate the kind of impact he once hoped former Niners wide receiver Marquise Goodwin displayed back in 2017 and 2018.

There are serious question marks with Gray, however, and some of those have surfaced already during offseason workouts.

Still, let’s look at why Gray could be such a vital piece for Shanahan and Co. in the forthcoming years.

Why Danny Gray positively impacts 49ers offense

A year ago, San Francisco tried making Aiyuk a vertical threat early in the season, but those efforts didn’t generate too many results. Likewise, fellow speedster Travis Benjamin failed to catch a single pass in limited action.

The need was there at receiver, but the 49ers also were fielding quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the bulk of 2021, and Garoppolo’s limited arm could rarely take advantage of players down the field anyway.

That should change with second-year pro Trey Lance under center, as his arm won’t fail to reach an open Gray separating from a defender.

From Pro Football Focus:

"Gray is the best budget vertical threat in the draft class. He put up a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine and was underutilized on tape at SMU."

Gray might not be an every-down player anytime soon, but in a gadget-type role where he can use his speed to his advantage, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him thrive right away.

Why Danny Gray flops early for 49ers in 2022

One of the biggest knocks against Gray from his collegiate tenure was his unreliable hands. In 2020, per PFF, Gray had three drops on 36 catchable passes, and that number increased to seven drops on 56 pass attempts the following year.

That won’t exactly be a quick way to earn favor with Shanahan.

There are also notable concerns about Gray’s smallish frame, which might work well when he separates but could potentially cause problems when he’s bumping up against bigger, stronger defensive backs at the line of scrimmage.

Even more of a concern is the fact Gray missed part of organized team activities and all of mandatory minicamp with a hamstring injury, and should that continue to be an issue, it would hinder the rookie’s best asset: speed.

Danny Gray’s projected role, impact with 49ers this season

Gray’s absence from minicamp opened up the door for one of the Niners’ free-agent pickups, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud, to serve as the deep threat on offense.

McCloud thrived in this role, regularly getting behind opposing defensive backs and suggesting he, not Gray, could be that vertical threat San Francisco needs.

This shouldn’t put Gray in danger of missing out on a roster spot right away, however, but it could easily jeopardize the first-year receiver’s role in 2022.

Read More: 49ers WR Danny Gray will thrive more than you think

If things go according to plan, however, Gray will be tasked with the thankless-yet-important job of pulling at least one defensive back with him deep down the field. It might not always yield targets, as Lance will likely prefer to look for other better-established options like Samuel and Aiyuk.

But the catches Gray does make, assuming he holds onto them, should result in a notable yards-per-reception average.

And at the utmost of sides, Gray could truly make the 49ers offense threatening at all levels.

That’s the hope at least.