Through the games, there is no doubt the San Francisco 49ers are in desperate need of wide receiver help. At full strength, their pass-catching core is one of the league's best. There is just one caveat: they're far from full strength.
Various names have begun to float around the market, and one caught fire this week on social media. Forgotten Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas Jr. found his name squarely in the forefront of the trade conversation.
The frenzy came after a Bleacher Report article discussed potential trade fits for the pass catcher who was once considered a fantasy football owner's best friend. Needless to say, over the past year and a half, he has experienced a brutal fall from grace.
Folks online didn't hesitate to send the hypothetical worldwide, as a union between Thomas Jr. and the 49ers would, in theory, be a match made in Heaven. After all, who wouldn't want to watch the bona fide deep threat catch precision passes from MVP candidate Brock Purdy?
49ers fans forgot one crucial deficiency in Brian Thomas Jr.'s game
Unfortunately for 49ers fans, the rumors will most likely not come to fruition, as Brian Thomas Jr. lacks one key component that the 49ers could never overlook. As it stands, Jacksonville certainly hasn't.
The pass catcher simply isn't a competent blocker. In fact, it's because of this that he has played on 37.0 percent of snaps or less in two of his team's first three games. Many thought it would be fellow wideout Jakobi Meyers who would be standing on the sidelines during 12-man personnel, but Meyers has played on a much higher percentage of Jacksonville's offensive plays than his counterpart.
Jordan Cameron is playing on more snaps than Thomas Jr. for a reason, and it's not his pass-catching ability. A trade sending the former Rookie of the Year honorable mention to the Bay would only cause him to run into the same problem he is currently experiencing.
49ers have already proven they don't deal with receivers who don't block
The Niners have long employed the "no block, no rock" philosophy. It took Brandon Aiyuk three years to officially earn a full-time role in the offense for the same reason.
Therefore, it's reasonable to believe the franchise would steer clear of a player who is currently getting benched for failing to put his body on the line for the betterment of the running game. Instead, the red and gold will most likely elect to stick with cheaper, safer options, evidenced by their recent signing of former Niner Dante Pettis.
Although it would please many fantasy football owners nationwide, it's unreasonable that the 49ers would ever trade for Brian Thomas. Fans can still hope, though, as the reclamation project would certainly bring a level of explosive excitement to the offense,
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