The 49ers have taken a wide receiver in the second round of the past two drafts.
Dante Pettis, whom the club traded up to select in 2018, showed promise as a rookie before taking a tumble down the depth chart a year ago. Deebo Samuel had an impressive rookie season and got better and better as the year progressed.
Veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders is scheduled for unrestricted free agency. The 49ers will have to pay him a nice chunk of money to retain his services. If he leaves, the 49ers can look to add a talented player from what looks to be one of the best drafts for wide receivers in years.
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“It’s a really good class,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “You can kind of get whatever flavor you like.
“If you like smaller, quicker guys, those guys are there. If you like the big guys that can move, those guys are there. If you like speed, that's there. If you like separators. ... So, I think the whole league's kind of smiling about that.”
The 49ers own the No. 31 overall pick. After that, they are not scheduled to pick again until the fifth round. The 49ers will likely try to trade out of the first round to acquire picks on Day 2. Here are three players they could target at various stages of the draft if Sanders signs elsewhere.
Denzel Mims, Baylor
San Francisco 49ers
Denzel Mims has the size (6-foot-3, 207 pounds), straight-line speed (4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash), change of direction (6.66 in the three-cone drill, tops at the combine) and a willingness to be physical.
"I take blocking very serious,” Mims said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I feel like you have to run the ball in this game. You can't just pass every single down. And, so, if I open up the blocking game, it will open up the passing game. And, so, if I block for my teammates, then they'll block for me and the quarterback so I can get the ball.”
Mims concluded his college career with 66 receptions for 1,020 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior in 2019. He figures to be selected in the late-first or early-second round.
Aaron Parker, Rhode Island
Aaron Parker (6-2, 209) has a basketball background and one of the top three-cone times (6.94) at the combine. Coach Kyle Shanahan will see a wide receiver who can get open quickly against man coverage on choice routes. Also, he is not afraid to go over the middle to catch passes in traffic.
Parker was not the only Rhode Island receiver at the combine. His teammate, Isaiah Coulter, ran better than Parker, clocking a 4.45 in the 40. Coulter also stands 6-2, but his short-area quickness and change-of-direction is not nearly as good as Parker’s.
[RELATED: 49ers re-signing Sanders means one fewer unknown]
Isaiah Hodgins, Oregon State
Isaiah Hodgins (6-4, 210) has ideal size and the ability to separate quickly off the line of scrimmage. He provides a matchup problem for most cornerbacks on the outside with his length. That showed up last season in college, as he caught 86 passes for 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns.
For perspective, Hodgins is 5 inches taller than Deebo Samuel. Hodgins ran a 7.01 in the three-cone drill. Last year, Samuel ran a 7.03. Hodgins’ 20-yard shuttle was 4.12. Samuel’s was 4.14.
The run on wide receivers in the early rounds could leave a player such as Hodgins on the board longer than during a typical draft year.