The San Francisco 49ers usually draft at least one wide receiver every year in the NFL Draft. Sometimes they hit a home run like they did with Deebo Samuel or Jauan Jennings, but for every hit there are at least two or three misses in the Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch era.
49ers beat reporter Jennifer Lee Chan seemed to subconsciously acknowledge that reality recently as she reacted to the news that University of Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II is visiting with San Francisco this week.
In a since-deleted post on social media, Lee accidentally wrote in response to the Brazzell news: "WR bust for the #49ers."
She quickly shared a new post that read: "Wide receiver VISIT for #49ers...Auto correct hates me."
Wide receiver VISIT for #49ers
— Jennifer Lee Chan -all platforms: @jenniferleechan (@jenniferleechan) April 13, 2026
Auto correct hates me 🤦🏻♀️ https://t.co/aoFbTXIdvH
It was obviously just an honest mistake, but ironically Lee's typo speaks to a sad reality for the 49ers when it comes to wide receivers they have taken in the draft.
The John Lynch 49ers have a brutal track record drafting wide receivers
Since 2017 when Shanahan and Lynch took over, here is a complete list of every wide receiver the team has taken in the draft:
2017: Trent Taylor (Round 5)
2018: Dante Pettis (Round 2)
2018: Richie James (Round 7)
2019: Deebo Samuel (Round 2)
2019: Jalen Hurd (Round 3)
2020: Brandon Aiyuk (Round 1)
2020: Jauan Jennings (Round 7)
2022: Danny Gray (Round 3)
2023: Ronnie Bell (Round 7)
2024: Ricky Pearsall (Round 1)
2024: Jacob Cowing (Round 4)
2025: Jordan Watkins (Round 4)
2025: Junior Bergen (Round 7)
Samuel, Aiyuk, and Jennings are obviously the three best names on that list, but outside of them it's tough to say who the next best pick was. Maybe Trent Taylor?
There are a lot of straight up busts like Pettis, Gray, Hurd, and Bell. Then there are others whose fate is currently unclear. Cowing seems to be trending towards the "bust" category but he was robbed of his 2025 due to injury. It's too early to fully appraise Watkins or Bergen just yet either. Even Pearsall's fate us unclear due to how injury-prone he seems to be.
San Francisco has been connected to a number of wide receivers ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. Omar Cooper Jr. and KC Concepcion are two names that have come up a lot in speculation about what the team could do with the No. 27 overall pick in Round 1.
Brazzell is another guy San Francisco could go after in Round 1. He is tall at 6-foot-4 and could be a nice replacement for Jauan Jennings who has still yet to find a home in free agency. Brazzell, like Jennings, is a Tennessee product so maybe it's a sign.
The Niners have struggled to consistently hit on their wide receiver picks over the years so maybe Lee's Freudian slip will come true and whoever the team selects this year will end up being a bust as well.