On Tuesday afternoon, NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell told Tolbert and Lund that aside from the quarterback position, the 49ers’ greatest weakness is at wide receiver.
He also stated that San Francisco is lacking in the four most important positions on an NFL roster, adding that they are missing a strong pass rusher and cornerback. 49ers beat writer Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee told Ted Ramey on Wednesday that because the 49ers are so bereft of talent, they may elect to trade their top-two overall pick in the NFL draft for multiple first rounders. If they elect to do so, and not take somebody like defensive end Miles Garrett, Barrows thinks they should target a standout receiver from Clemson.
“If they decide they’ve got so many other needs and can trade out of that spot, to me the guy that makes the most sense is the Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams,” Barrows said. “I think that he just makes so many other people on your team better. He makes your quarterback better, he makes Torrey Smith better, he makes Vance McDonald better, he makes Carlos Hyde better.”
Williams is considered to be the best wide receiver in the 2017 draft class, and at 6-3, 200 lbs, offers a combination of agility, size and speed. Barrows believes he would improve every facet of the 49ers sputtering offense.
“One of the mysteries to me…usually when you’ve got a team that runs the ball well, that triggers the play action game,” Barrows said. “A team that can run the ball well, when it throws should be able to hit deep plays and should be completing a lot of their passes, because the opponents are sneaking up and trying to stop the run. The 49ers just don’t do that. There’s no ancillary benefit to their running attack, that they gain from it. A big part of that is they don’t have any good wide receivers. I think if you added a big bodied guy, I think he would make a half-dozen other players seem better because of that.”
Jeremy Kerley is the 49ers leading receiver this season with 53 receptions for 544 yards. San Francisco hasn’t drafted a wide receiver in the first round since A.J. Jenkins in 2012. Jenkins was one of Baalke’s biggest busts, playing just 37 offensive snaps before being traded to Kansas City. By 2015, Jenkins was out of the league.
The 49ers haven’t had a receiver make the Pro Bowl since Terrell Owens in 2003.
Listen to the full interview below.