The San Francisco 49ers made a splash at wide receiver by signing Mike Evans, but he's not going to solve the Niners' receiver woes overnight. The 32-year-old might be a future Hall of Famer, but it doesn't change the fact that he displayed some serious signs of regression with Tampa Bay in 2025.
This means that the 49ers need to start thinking about their future at the receiver position. No name in the room stands out. Ricky Pearsall has been solid when he's on the field, but has struggled to remain healthy, while it's inevitable that Brandon Aiyuk will be released (even if it hasn't happened yet).
As it stands currently, Christian Kirk is the WR3 and DeMarcus Robinson is the WR4, which cannot fly in Week 1--which is why it makes sense that receiver is becoming a possibility for the Niners in the first round of the 2026 Draft. The only question that persists is which WR should John Lynch take.
Kyle Shanahan can draft his new Deebo Samuel in Omar Cooper Jr.
KC Concepcion has been looked at as the popular target for the 49ers, but what if I told you that he shouldn't be the only wideout on Kyle Shanahan's radar? Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. is one of my favorite pass-catchers in this draft class, and would be a perfect fit in the Bay Area at 27.
In a breakout year where he emerged as Fernando Mendoza's favorite target, the 22-year-old caught 69 passes for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns for the championship-winning Hoosiers. It's not like he's exceptionally fast, it's his elite running and what he does with the ball in his hands that stands out.
We saw the damage the 49ers did when Deebo Samuel was a centerpiece of the offense, and Cooper is a similar type of YAC threat. He led the Big Ten in yards after catch, and has the explosiveness to play both in the slot and on the boundary despite being standing at than 6-foot-1 and 199 pounds.
Cooper ran a 4.42 second 40-yard dash at the combine, so if you slot him into that power-slot role this offense loves, he could do some serious damage in many different ways. He also attacks zone coverage in a way that should have Shanahan foaming at the mouth, mainly due to his elite ball skills.
Even as a one-year wonder, there's still legit reason to believe that Cooper may not even make it to pick 27, even as a member of the "Tier 2 WR's Club" with Concepcion, Denzel Boston, and Jordyn Tyson, because his draft stock has gradually increased due to the league-wide demand for WRs.
Not to mention, Cooper has better hands than Concepcion, better medicals than Tyson, and less bust potential than Boston. He's also the type of player who isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty as a run blocker, so the Niners are better suited getting him on a rookie deal over bringing Deebo back.
Maybe the change of scenery to Shanahan's offense quells my doubts about Evans, but regardless, they need to think about the long-term outlook of this WR room. Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle aren't getting any younger, and Cooper would be the perfect security blanket for Brock Purdy.
Evans is great and all, but if the 49ers are able to find him the perfect running mate (and eventual long-term successor) in a loaded WR class, I'm here for it.
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