5 receivers who could be on 49ers’ mind at combine this week

Posted By on February 25, 2019

Stanford wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside (19) celebrates his touchdown with teammates during the second half of an NCAA college football game against UCLA Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

When John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan joined the 49ers in 2017, their first major move was signing wide receiver Pierre Garcon.

Now they must replace him.

According to published reports, the 49ers have declined the option in Garcon’s contract, making him a free agent just two seasons after signing him to a five-year, $47.5 million deal.

The 49ers hoped Garcon would be their No. 1 receiver. But, in two seasons with the team, he missed 16 games, caught only 64 passes and scored just one touchdown. The 49ers paid him $355,468 per catch.

They still need a No. 1 receiver. They could trade for Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers or Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants — both are on the trade block, according to reports. But, both would cost lots of money and draft picks. The 49ers may choose to draft a wide receiver instead.

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This article has 97 Comments

  1. Both Deebo and McLaurin did well in the Senior Bowl practices. Another WR with good potential is N’Keal Harry.
    .
    Glad you did not advocate for Brown. He may be talented, but he also may disrupt the locker room dynamics. OBJ will just cost way too much, and I cannot see the NYG drafting Haskins, then jettisoning their best WR.
    .
    However, if the Niners want to make it back to the playoffs, they should concentrate on bolstering the defense in the early rounds, then draft a sure pro bowler with HOF potential written all over him. If JL wants to win a SB, he should draft an Aggie. In the Senior Bowl, he was a one man highlight reel.
    .
    Keelan Doss could win a SB MVP, in my humble opinion.

              2. That is down the hall. This stench seems to be emanating from my computer, every time I see the name- Baalke.

          1. AES,
            Depending on his Combine performance, he can go from anywhere in the 3rd to 5th rounds.

            Seb,
            It will be awesome if the 49ers land Doss via an extra draft pick by way of trade.

            1. Nick, I agree. Local boy, local school. Can catch the ball over the middle. Big enough to be a red zone threat. Should be available in the later rounds, so the Niners can use the first picks to bolster the defense.

        2. On Draftek, he is ranked 236, so the Niners may take him at 243. However, to be on the safe side, they could take him at 212, or even 176.
          .
          Personally, I hope they franchise tag Gould and trade him to the Bears for their 5th round pick (162). Then the Niners could take Doss in the 5th at 162, to make sure they get him.

          1. Darn. just saw a mock, and the Rams took Doss at 133 round 4. Niners may need to use pick number 104 to make sure they get Doss. That is why trading back is so important. More later picks.

      2. I had been to the UC Davis game at Stanford and came away impressed with Doss who caught 13 passes for 106 yards, many against Paulsen Adebo who I expect to go high in the first round in the 2020 draft. Doss ran crisp routes and showed good hands, The Cardinal doubled him with a safety for a good part of the game, which ensured no breakaway YACs.

  2. I like Deebo a lot… I’m just not sure I see the niners picking a wr in the second with their desperate need for a corner.

    Paris is intriguing but I don’t like Hall, as I see him as a body catcher and that doesn’t really translate at the next level.
    Using your parameters, how would David Sills fit with this team?

    Honestly, I think the Niners wait until the 3rd round to pick up their wideout, as there is quite a lot of depth in this receiver class even if the top end talent isn’t quite up to par. With that in mind, they might be better off trading back in the second round.

    1. Sills played for Shanahan on the South team at the Senior Bowl as a backup flanker behind Samuel. Sills would be a flanker or a slot receiver for the 49ers.

  3. Love these installments. My top receivers that have a shot of being there with the 2nd round selection are:

    1a. Deebo Samuel
    1b. Riley Ridley
    2. A. J. Brown
    3. Hakeem Butler

    Top 3rd round selections:
    1. Emmanuel Hall
    2. DaMarkus Lodge
    3. Anday Isabella

    4th rounders:
    1. Parris Campbell
    2. Hunter Renfrow

  4. Buffalo’s Anthony Johnson has potential…

    2017-2018 — 133 receptions, 2367 yards, 25 TDs; 4:55 40.

  5. I’m a Deebo fan. We may draft a fast WR ala Goodwin who could get open for big chunks here and there, but Samuels gives us a consistent target who has the ability to get big YAC.

    Deebo is the closest WR I’ve seen to Anquan Boldin. Boldin was more violent than Garcon and had a LB’s mentality. Deebo plays bigger than Metcalf and that says a lot about his physical style and mental state on the field.

  8. Grant… Content suggestion for this page.

    1) Ditch the Popular Tags panel. Just do it.

    2) Replace the panel with Grant’s Sticker panel. Display helmet images of key 9er players–of course, you determine who’s key and who’s not. After each game you award virtual stickers–kinda like what some college coaches do for great plays. The virtual helmet sticker could be your likeness, or some other appropriate image. Imagine how cool it would be to watch the number of stickers grow for Kittle, or Warner, or CJB. Chat with the Press Democrat’s IT Division and see what you can come up with. You could go so far as to have ‘negative’ stickers for lousy play. It would provide us with some visual stimulation…

  9. I just did TDN’s Mock Draft Machine:

    *No trades available

    2. Josh Allen, Sam, Kentucky
    36. Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia
    67. Elgton Jenkins, RG, Miss St.
    104. Jace Sternberger, TE2, Texas A&M
    176. Oli Udoh, OT, Elon
    212. Mike Bell, FS, Fresno St.

    1. Razor:
      #67. Elgton Jenkins, RG, Miss St. While I like Jenkins, he’s the Miss St. center, not RG. Jenkins has played RG, as well as every O-line position.
      * The last two years, Jenkins has allowed only one sack over 727 snaps in pass protection. This year, Jenkins continued his excellence in pass blocking as well as helped MSU rush for 226.42 yards per game – the second-best mark in the Southeastern Conference. He put together a season that earned him first team All-American honors from The Athletic.
      * What makes Jenkins especially valuable is that he’s not just a one-position player. He can, and has, played all over the offensive line. Of his 33 career starts at Mississippi State, Jenkins started 25 times at center, five times at left tackle, twice at left guard and once at right tackle. http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/125285

    2. I really like Sternberger as a receiving threat at TE. The kid is an absolute stud in the passing game and could possibly be the best receiving TE in the draft this year. This will probably sound over the top but I think Sternberger could be a better receiving threat than Kittle. Problem is his blocking is average to below average. There were times last year where he did a great bull fighter impression. Not sure how Shanahan feels about TE’s who are uninterested in their jobs in the run game. If Shanny could coach up Sternberger in the run game then the 49ers could easily have the 2 best TE in the NFL in the passing game.

    3. Just did a Fanspeak mock simulator. No trades.
      2- Nick Bosa EDGE. This was for Razor, otherwise, Ferrell.
      36- Nasir Adderly S.
      67- Elgton Jenkins C.
      104- Tre Lamar LB.
      176- Caleb Wilson TE.
      121- Keelan Doss WR.

  10. I’d argue that Goodwin is more than a one trick deep receiver. He had his best showing when Garcon went out in 2017 and he had to take over the Flanker position and became the primary receiver in the offense. He showed route running ability. His problem has been not being able to stay on the field consistently either for health reasons or unfortunately family reasons.

    Deep speed is nice, but Shanhan has said that he values the ability for receivers to separate from coverage over anything else. That is often more of a function of short area quickness, agility and route running skills more than straight up deep speed. But getting a player like Tyreek Hill sure would be awesome.

    1. Goodwin has the ability to break down quickly for comeback routes, which is key for a burner in Shanahan’s play-action scheme.

      1. Yes but remember that the the offensive system has WCO passing concepts grafted onto it. The offense should be flexible enough to switch between the run game/play-action aspect to a ball controlled WCO passing scheme. That’s what needs to happen when the run/play-action game is shutdown or the offense is placed into obvious passing situations. Usually the key receiver in WCO passing concepts is the Flanker. Goodwin ran a lot of that in 2017.

  11. Has to be a CB at pick 36 that is worth building a future on. Right now I don’t believe they have anyone who is not just adequate. A FA is fine for the short but not the best use of the cap IMO. They need a difference maker on D who can make a QB hold onto the ball just a little longer and then – Kaboom – hits become sacks. Buckner had 12 sacks this year. Just making the QB hold the ball a little longer could easily get him to 16 which would have tied him with JJ Watt this year. With this and a rusher at Number 2 we’ve got a D that can compete and close out the game at the end for the offense. To paraphrase the game of golf – offense is for show and defense is for dough. (See Rams v. Patriots for example)

    1. Signing Earl Thomas would increase our secondaries lethality, and we could sign Steven Nelson from Kansas City to increase competition at corner.

        1. Thomas flipped Pete off. Of course they don’t want him, and I think it’s safe to assume the feeling is mutual. Besides, they need to pony up $$ for Clark and they’ve got Thompson as their FS, plus McDouglad backing him up….

          1. Was looking for players more youthful at both positions. That said, the issue is how do you use Pick #36 for the most bang for the buck. Drafting a wide receiver.? No Your suggestion of Thomas – is a Double No for other reasons. If we improve the defense as our first priority one of two things will happen. They will become competent and pick up the offense; or (2) Saleh will be exposed as incompetent. Those are my two absolute first priorities. JG had the offense playing very well and won with lesser talent than now. If he can’t return to form we’ve got a much bigger problem than WRs and a few tweaks here and there. The issue with Thomas is who don’t we acquire with the extra money he requires. I don’t think they need him personally but the issue of signing another FA at safety is worth considering. Any draft picks for offense should be in last two rounds unless too good to pass up.

            1. I think the only one that would be worth taking at the top of the 2nd round is Amani Oruwariye, CB, Penn State. Baker, Murphy, Williams should all be gone on day one.

          2. Tedric Thompson was the draft pick the Niners gave up to move up and get Foster. smh.
            .
            Still think Thomas is going to Texas.

          1. Helps mine. He can actually give it to them twice a year with his play on the field if he signs with the 49ers.

      2. Thomas is old and coming off an injury.

        He may be valuable because of his ability to read and anticipate routes/route concepts. But otherwise I wouldn’t expect much left from him.

        Speed and quickness are even more of an asset for playing single high safety than it is for Richard Sherman playing Corner in which he can play up close with the receiver and use more of his ability to anticipate routes to try to compensate for lack of speed.

        1. Good, that means we can sign him to a similar contract that Sherman did if no other team thinks he’s capable of two more good years. Low risk, high reward!

          1. Performance incentives go against the cap too. I’m no expert but if he has the ability to make a lot of money, we have to have it available to pay him and that reduces the money we can pay others. I don’t know where I fit on the trust Jed scale here but I’m not thinking the whole cap is available for Kyle and John to go shopping so, as always with the 49ers, you got to make what you get really count. I just don’t see the great impact potential Thomas has on us now being worth gambling the future on. Jerry Jones will take Thomas out on his new yacht and tell him how he will get a Super Bowl ring next year and sign him to a contract like Sherman’s. Either that or some fool bids his price up and does a stupid.

  12. I would use #104 and a 6th to trade back into the back end of the 3rd round to draft Gary Jennings. If he makes it that far.

    This team shouldn’t use anything higher then a 3rd on a receiver.. Jennings will be the best prospect in that range. He’ll likely already be gone but he’s my top choice for the position this year.

    1. Classic possession receiver. I’ll keep an eye on him at the combine. 40 time has to be under 4.59. I think he’d represent value as an early day 3 pick….

        1. Would you roll the dice on Preston Williams, WR, Colorado with that 6th compensatory selection? I would. Not sure Lynch would….

          1. 7th or UFA for Williams. Could end up being an amazing diamond in the rough story one day but at this point he’s a one season wonder for the Colorado State Rams.

  13. I think Deebo and Ridley will be the two guys that most interest Shanahan (not including Metcalf and Harmon as they should both be certain 1st rounders). A later round guy I think they will keep a close eye on is KeeSean Johnson.

    1. John Lynch hasn’t drafted any juniors on Day 2 of the draft, so I don’t think he’ll draft Ridley.

      1. Surely they aren’t taking juniors off their draft boards or downgrading them for not playing their senior year. It might be a case of question marks on maturity, but Ridley from all reports get high marks for his maturity. I would suggest the lack of juniors taken day 2 is more a coincidence than plan.

        1. Lynch has drafted three juniors — Solomon Thomas, D.J. Reed and Richie James. Thomas was a huge bust. I doubt Lynch will draft many more juniors before Day 3. I know he likes players who honor their commitments.

          Also, neither Shanahan has drafted a junior wide receiver before the seventh round since Ashley Lelie in 2002. I highly doubt Ridley will be a 49er.

          1. If he’s available at their pick in round 2 and they take another WR over him just because he is a junior they are morons. I can understand being concerned about his level of production, but not him being a junior.

            The past couple of years there has been a lot of talk about how concerned some teams were about the maturity level of the juniors that have been declaring. I suspect that is the larger reason why the 49ers haven’t been drafting many juniors. As I said, everything I have seen lauds how mature Ridley is and how dedicated to football he is. Just can’t see the 49ers not liking that.

            1. If he’s available at their pick in round 2 and there’s a senior available with a similar grade (same tier), they’ll take the senior.

              1. I like Ridley. He can stop on a dime, and similar to Kittle, he didn’t get a lot of opportunities in that offense. I think he’s got immense upside in Shanny’s offense….

              3. I don’t get that mentality. Really don’t. It’s basically saying “we believe maturity is important but have no idea how to gauge a person’s maturity, so will use whether they have graduated or not as our indicator.” Bad scouting.

              4. I agree, but that’s what Lynch and Shanahan seem to do. Not surprised, considering they’re not scouts.

              5. I agree with Big Scootie that it’s not that big of deal. Of course that depends on all the things we’re not privy to. Interviews, meds, and background checks. Other than that, I think for me it’s Ridley or Samuel if round 2 is the target area. I’d take either one over A.J. Brown. I wouldn’t touch Parris before round 5, but I think he goes round 4….

              6. If a player leaves school early just to be a second- or third-round pick, it’s fair to question his commitment and maturity. Why the rush to leave?

              7. Sure it’s a fair question, and one he’ll be asked. I wouldn’t assume the worst without indicators other than just the fact he left early. Lots of players leave early, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an ill intent. Perhaps mom needs a house or is sick. Maybe the player has learned all he can at his school, etc.

              8. Yes, but some conservative GMs see leaving school early just to be a second-day pick as a mark against that player’s character. He abandoned his team and didn’t even get a first-round salary. Lynch is conservative and old school.

              9. For someone like Ridley it is fair for him to question whether another year in that offense would do anything to improve his draft stock. Unless there is a good chance of improving your draft stock, why stay another year and risk injury?

              11. Lynch is a fool if he disqualifies a player for that without substantiating it through a tangible process, and another team will benefit. Lynch doesn’t impress me as foolish….

              12. Lynch did his due diligence on Solomon Thomas and drafted him even though he was a junior. That selection might make Lynch even more reticent to draft juniors before Day 3. And I’m not saying he’s right. I’m saying he’s not a scout.

              13. All this talk about a player’s academic achievements is very interesting in light of the Ruben Foster pick. I mean really. Alex Smith finished his degree after his junior year I believe. It is inconceivable to me that Foster had enough credits for anything other than a degree in Football. Junior, senior or high school grad (OK LeBron plays basketball) so what. I’m not saying that Grant is wrong about KS but – wow – his learning curve just took a plunge into negative territory for me. Let’s keep an eye out for players’ birth sign. Maybe there’s another pattern there.

              15. Lynch is growing into the position just like Shanny, and I don’t think it’s in his character to draft scared. If there’s a talented player on the board, and he has legitimate concerns regarding his maturity, he’s probably not going to draft him. I think there are better examples; Foster and Williams, for lessons to learn from than Solomon Thomas. His book has unfinished chapters….

              16. Hmmm, maybe they will draft some Senior Bowl players. Guess that coaching opportunity was a boon, and hope they remember Keelan Doss.

          2. Basing this off a two season sample size seems to be jumping the gun a bit. It’s a very small trend to watch for in the future but the sample size is so small… I would be leary to say it’s what he does… as it could just as easily be an outlier.

  14. 1. What do you guys think of the idea Kyle Shanahan may draft a speed receiver, not a possession receiver, to pair with Dante Pettis?
    2. What do you guys think of Terry McLaurin?

    1. I think part of Pettis’ allure was his versatility, not to mention Goodwin has been slated for reduced snaps according to the head coach. So, yes I believe that’s a possibility.

      McLaurin is similar to Ridley, in that they were both underutilized in their respective offenses. I think he’s a candidate for his stock to take off if he runs like he did at the Senior Bowl. 22 mph and a projected 40 time of 4.35. I think he’s another player that would present more value and upside in round 4 over Parris Campbell….

    2. McLaurin will go in the third round. Doss will still be available in the 4th.
      .
      Niners should draft an Edge, DB and OL in the first 3 rounds. If they trade back, a WR or TE could be chosen in the first 3 rounds.

    3. I don’t like the idea of Pettis as Garcon’s replacement. You said it yourself during TC that he struggles with balls over the middle. I don’t think he is a good fit for that role. I much prefer him playing as the more deep threat.

      However, if they decide to dispense with either of the outside WRs being that tough over the middle threat then sure, can go with someone like McLaurin.

      As for McLaurin himself, as razor said, I think he is a guy that offees value as he was under utilised in college and is better than his stats.

    4. 1. What do you guys think of the idea Kyle Shanahan may draft a speed receiver, not a possession receiver, to pair with Dante Pettis?

      I think that is very real possibility. Kyle loves to stretch defenses and just the presence of speed does that for him. I must admit that I disagree with this approach unless its tied to someone who is tough and sure handed which would make him a top end target for every team.

      2. What do you guys think of Terry McLaurin?
      This is a snap judgment (made from watching a few clips on youtube) but from what I saw, I like him a lot. He seems very similar to Deebo in that he appears to create separation with ease but neither are what I would call real burners (guessing they run around 4.5 something). I think Deebo is a bit more of a natural catcher but both seem good at securing the ball.

      1. If you compare Shanahan’s offense to McVay’s (they’re similar), Pettis would be (sort of) Robert Woods, not Brandin Cooks.

        I like McLaurin, too. He’s says he runs a 4.35. We shall see. He was clocked as the fastest player at the Senior Bowl (22 mph).

        1. Difference between Woods and Pettis is Woods is a very reliable pass catcher over the middle, while Pettis has more speed and burst.

          Having another speed guy can work, but at least one of them has to be strong across the middle. Unless Pettis improves in that area it needs to be whoever they add.

          1. I totally agree with your assessment. But, from the comments Shanahan has made, I get the feeling he’s hoping Pettis will turn into a more reliable catcher in traffic. I’ll see if I can find the quote I’m thinking of.

            UPDATE
            Here’s the quote: “Because that type of movement is just hard to cover. So, then you go to, are they fast enough? Pettis is fast enough. He’s not the fastest guy on our team, but he’s definitely not slow either. That’s why he’s got the capability, I think, to play all three positions. Then if they do have that, they should be able to separate. Do they have the hands to consistently catch it? If they do, alright, are they fearless? Are they going to drop it every time they go over the middle? I know Pettis has had a couple of those, but he’s also shown to us that he can be tough too. He’ll go in there and crack on guys. He doesn’t just turn stuff down. He can get more consistent on that, but he’s shown he has all of the tools to be a very good receiver. We’ll see how high that ceiling goes to.”

            1. Yeah, he clearly would like Pettis to be able to handle all three spots. But it was pretty clear last year that for now he wasn’t ideally suited to play the more possession style role.

              But if that is where they want Pettis long term, then maybe a guy like Tyrell Williams does become a target in FA.

    1. Doss is nothing like Stokes. Doss is 6’3″ 206 lbs. Stokes was 6’4″ 220 lbs. McLaurin is 6’1″ 205 lbs.
      .
      Stokes had fast straight line speed, but Doss is quicker in the cuts. The Senior Bowl showed Doss has good hands. Stokes never lived up to his full potential. The sky is the limit for Doss.

      1. Or Stokes was over rated to begin with. I remember him being compared to Jerry Rice. Difference between being over rated or hyped and not full filling your potential. The potential they believed was there never really was. Using that criteria one could say Jenkins never fulfilled his potential either.

  18. Shanny? I don’t know. Probably.
    . But I think Lynch craves a Speed/Leaper Guy. I was guessing he’ll take a flyer on a Day3 racer.who knows? ?‍♂️

  19. TDN’s Mock Draft Machine 2.0:
    *No trades

    #2. Josh Allen, Sam, Kentucky
    #36. Justin Layne, CB, Michigan St.
    #67. Greg Little, OT, Miss
    #104. Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M
    #176. Myles Gaskin, RB, Washington
    #212. Preston Williams, WR, Colorado

  20. Mike Sando thinks thinks the Niners should trade Nick Mullens to the Broncos, because they obtained Flacco, and most likely will trade away Keenum. Mullens would be a good backup, and if Flacco falters, he could step in and become the starter. Bronco OC Scangarello would love to obtain Mullens, and knows how to properly utilize him.
    .
    I wish to propose a blockbuster trade. 3 players for 3 draft picks. Niners could bundle Nick Mullens, Solomon Thomas and Trent Taylor for the Broncos second, 4th and 5th round picks (41, 125, 156). Thomas would fit better as a 3-4 lineman, and Taylor would fill the slot WR need. Fangio would probably be able to utilize Thomas better in his system, and this trade would benefit both teams. Broncos have 2 picks in the 4th and 5th rounds, so they could trade them away, and still have a pick in the 4th and 5th rounds.
    .
    Niners are rebuilding, so 3 additional draft picks would allow them to lock up 3 more players under rookie contracts.
    .
    This trade, coupled with a trade with Gruden for his first, second and third round picks for the number 2 pick, would allow Gruden to draft Kyler Murray, or settle for Bosa if Murray goes to Arizona. Niners would end up with pick numbers 4, 35, 36, 41, 66, 67, 104, 125, 156, 176, 212 and 243.
    .
    12 selections is a boatload of picks, and would allow the Niners to build for the future.

    1. Sebbie… Happy to see you’re moving into the player bundling phase of your mock drafts–something you’ve proposed often, very often. Hoping you offer at least another six or seven bundling scenarios leading up to the draft.

      1. I sure am glad JL mentioned he would consider every scenario. That shows competence and intelligence.
        .
        Obtaining more draft picks is just a good way to help rebuild a team. Both the Colts and Seahawks did that, and both got back into the playoffs, even though they were considered rebuilding teams.
        .
        Farhan Zaidi has made several trades that bundled players, He has even made 3 team trades. I sure hope JL is clever enough to pull off a blockbuster trade that gives the Niners a boatload of picks. Fortunately, he has been here long enough to have assessed his players, and knows who to keep, and which ones would be good candidates to trade away. Since they have depth on the D line, and too many slot receivers, bundling them to get a better draft position is a sound strategy. Mullens has good trade value, and CJB might be an adequate backup, since we do not want the backup to play.

  21. I wonder what do people think is the advantage of having a wide receiver possession receiver compared with having a tight end like Kittle? Does Kittle fill the role of a possession receiver in most regards? Should the Niners draft another pass catching tight end to improve red zone production? Can they get a productive tight end for a lower draft choice than a wide receiver?

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