Draft won’t be a failure if 49ers don’t pick receiver early

A lot of talk surrounding the 49ers as the NFL draft approaches is how they vehemently need a wide receiver...... and a top one. People are saying if they don’t get Lamb, Jeudy or Ruggs at pick 13 that it’s a failure. I see things a bit differently actually.

Firstly, people have to realize just how good Deebo Samuel was last season for a rookie. 57 catches, 802 yards and 3 TDs. It wasn’t an elite year, but that’s darn good for a rookie second-round selection. 

They also forget about George Kittle, who is a better receiving tight end than any other in the league besides Travis Kelce. He’s a 1000 yard receiver as a tight end typically. He’s special from that position. He gets a lot more targets than many tight ends because he’s that good. Him and Deebo could combine for 2000 receiving yards next season. That’s really good for a team’s top 2 receivers. 

This offense also isn’t built to pass the ball 50 times a game (for some reason the 49ers offense is compared to the Chiefs despite two totally different styles). The 49ers fo run the ball a lot and figure for keep doing so. Shanahan might want to throw it more next year, but he doesn’t want games like the ones against the Saints, Cardinals and the second Rams game, even though they won. 

Also being forgotten is they are getting two receivers back. Jalen Hurd, who was supposed to be big in this offense as he’s a matchup issue that Shanahan can play with as WR, TE and RB. They are getting Trent Taylor back too, who has a great rapport with Jimmy Garoppolo. For whatever reason, those two seem to work well together. They also will get back a part of their passing game they haven’t had. A receiving running back. Jerrick McKinnon might actually make his debut with the 49ers. Shanahan had a plan for him that he hasn’t gotten to use yet. That part of the passing game could unlock different things we haven’t seen yet. I get it’s hard to trust three guys coming back from injury, but Shanahan likes them for a reason.

Going further on that, Shanahan isn’t known for building offense with labels. He doesn’t have a WR1 or a RB1. He builds offense by roles and rides hot hands. Nothing displays that more than how he handled running backs last year. Was never the same each week. He didn’t have a top back. He used his guys as he saw fit. That’s his unique way to build an offense. He zeroes in on guys who do certain things well and puts them in roles to be successful. That’s what he does. And it’s worked as he is known as one of the best offensive minds in the game. 

Would it be nice to land a top WR either in a trade or the draft? Sure. But I won’t get hung up if it doesn’t happen. It’s not as big of a need as people are saying. It wouldn’t be a failure if they don’t take one. Any additional weapon in this offense will help for sure. But if they see a defensive tackle, offensive tackle, cornerback or whatever on the board they like more than a receiver, they’ll do that. I think they’ve earned the trust of fans, whatever they do in the draft.