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At this point in the pre-draft process there's little doubt the San Francisco 49ers are interested in adding at least one wide receiver from this year's deep class of incoming rookies to their ranks.
The 49ers, to this point, have USC's Brenden Rice, Western Kentucky's Malachi Corley and UCF's Javon Baker on their list of top-30 visits that have been reported.
San Francisco has a rich history under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch of drafting players with whom it visits. So there's a strong case to be made that at least one of that trio can expect to become a 49er later this month.
But there's also an argument that the Niners might be looking to double up and use two of their 10 selections in this year's draft on the wideout position.
The conventional wisdom is that the 49ers are interested in drafting a receiver because they know that it is eventually going to become impractical to have both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel on the roster at high sticker prices.
In a recent piece examining each of the receivers on the top-30 visit list, I made the point that the 49ers' apparent emphasis on the receivers in this class could be born of a desire to add something different at the position in response to a Super Bowl loss in which their receivers, surprisingly in the case of Aiyuk, had issues defeating man coverage and making contested catches.
Rice, the son of arguably the greatest ever Niner, brings a mix of size and route-running nuance not currently on the receiver depth chart. Corley and Baker both shredded man coverage at the collegiate level, the latter excelling in making contested catches.
There's a possibility that both things can be true.
Room for two
San Francisco is yet to sign Aiyuk to an extension, and trade talk won't go away until he signs one. However, the Niners can create salary cap room for 2023 by signing him to a long-term deal and can lean on a prorated signing bonus and a backloaded to deal to spread the pain of paying one of the best receivers in football.
The more likely play is dealing Samuel. A post-June 1 trade of Samuel this year would create $22 million in cap savings with a $6.63 million dead cap charge. Next offseason, per Over The Cap, the savings would be $17.5 million with the same dead cap charge.
Samuel's possible eventual exit is where Corley comes in. Corley has regularly been compared to Samuel having been utilized in a markedly similar fashion by Western Kentucky. He was constantly sent in motion and did much of his damage in the screen game.
Yet Corley fared much better versus man coverage than Samuel did in college and arguably offers more upside as a downfield weapon with his impressive burst off the line when attacking vertically and fluid change of direction ability.
Malachi Corley given the benefit of a free release but love how he threatens to take the rotating defender over the top before smoothly breaking towards the post.
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) March 29, 2024
Nice adjustment to the ball. Had to do that a lot in college. pic.twitter.com/GWlecwmxMQ
The 49ers could theoretically take Corley and treat his rookie season as something of a developmental year in which he learns from Samuel before taking on a larger role in year two, and that would not prohibit them from selecting another receiver who offers a slightly different skill set and could potentially have a more immediate impact.
San Francisco is keen to sign Jauan Jennings to an extension after signing him to a second-round restricted free agent tender. However, beyond Aiyuk, Samuel and Jennings, there are no other receivers on the depth chart whose presence would be a reason not to draft two wideouts.
Former third-round pick Danny Gray has made one catch in two years in the league. Ronnie Bell made a sporadic impact as a rookie but, as a seventh-round pick, his place is far from secure. The Niners love Chris Conley's special teams play, but he's a veteran they can likely stash on the practice squad.
The 49ers can, therefore, feel comfortable adding two rookie receivers knowing they have the depth that means neither would be under huge pressure to deliver in year one and that they could easily fit both on the roster.
And there are multiple reasons why doing so could potentially advantageous.
Beyond drafting a potential replacement for Samuel in Corley and giving themselves a different flavor at the position by drafting Rice or Baker, there is motivation for the 49ers to put themselves in a spot where, including Jennings, they can be four deep at wideout even accounting for the possible departure of Aiyuk or Samuel.
That motivation surrounds another position, with the 49ers staring at a future where they may lack compelling options at tight end.
Removing Kittle's burden and expanding the menu
All-Pro George Kittle is a free agent in 2026 and the Niners would save $15 million against the cap, with a dead money charge of just over $7 million, by cutting him next offseason.
San Francisco likely won't consider such a move barring a significant drop-off in 2024 from Kittle, but the Niners' interest in tight ends in free agency indicates they know they can't put such a huge burden on him for much longer.
One way to remove the burden would be to have a quartet of dynamic wideouts with whom the Niners can go four wide without having to rely on a tight end. By selecting Rice, the 49ers could have the option of doing so while having two targets (Rice and Jennings) who can replicate the physical challenge presented by tight ends in the passing game with their larger frames.
Between their play-caller and their level of versatile offensive talent, the 49ers arguably have more options at their disposal than any other attack in the league.
But heading into what could be the final season with the team for one of their top two receivers, the Niners would benefit from stacking the deck further and finding ways to expand the menu. Doubling up at a position Shanahan has continually prioritized in the draft may be the best way to do so.
More must-reads:
- The 2024 NFL Draft set eight records
- Five-time Pro Bowl WR expected to make NFL comeback with Jaguars
- The 'Most career passing touchdowns' quiz
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