The San Francisco 49ers patched up the hole that they had at the wide receiver position through free agency. Mike Evans and Christian Kirk are both nice additions, but nobody's pretending that they're long-term solutions.
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan still need to add pass catchers they can trust. The middle rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft could present the perfect opportunity to do just that. There are plenty of talented receivers in this class who could be available well into Day Two.
Clemson wideout Antonio Williams deserves strong consideration from San Francisco. According to ESPN analyst Matt Bowen in a recent article handing out draft superlatives, he has the best receiving instincts of any player in the class. In Shanahan's system, the young receiver could work wonders.
Clemson WR Antonio Williams is Kyle Shanahan's dream mid-round draft selection
A year ago, the 21-year-old dropping into the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft would have been unthinkable. He was widely considered a first-round talent after a productive season at Clemson. But as the Tigers' relevance in the college football picture waned, so too did Williams' draft stock.
Still, he shows the field awareness, route running, and body control of an NFL starter. And according to Bowen, his instincts as a receiver are the best in the class.
""A reliable slot target with steady production (130 receptions over the past two seasons), Williams has the coverage awareness to settle in open grass when facing zone looks. And he can create his own leverage to defeat man coverage underneath.""Matt Bowen
Shanahan doesn't need freak athletes on offense to win games. He needs players he can trust to be in the right place at the right time and do damage with the ball in their hands. That's exactly who Williams is.
The Clemson product spent most of his time in the slot across the last two seasons. While his 2024 reps were split evenly between the slot and the outside, the speedster played almost exclusively on the inside in 2025.
Unless his role changes in a big way in the NFL, he would sit behind Kirk at the start of his career. Then, when Kirk ages out or Williams proves himself ready, he could step in as a long-term starter for San Francisco.
Combined with Ricky Pearsall, Williams could help form the next era of 49ers pass-catchers. If he's available in the middle rounds of the draft, San Francisco should think long and hard about taking him.
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