The San Francisco 49ers double-dipped at the wide receiver position on Day 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft. Shanahan’s plans for wideout Deebo Samuel are clear, but what do the Niners have in store for their rookie RB-turned-WR Jalen Hurd?

One of the worst-kept secrets of the 2019 NFL Draft was the San Francisco 49ers’ plans for their first two draft picks.

Luckily for the Niners, the top prospect in the draft — Ohio State’s defensive end Nick Bosa — was available with the team’s second overall selection. And as we predicted, the lack of an elite prospect at wide receiver made the second round the perfect spot to draft a starter at the position, as 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch snatched up South Carolina wideout Deebo Samuel, who caught the attention of the team and Locked on 49ers podcast host Brian Peacock after an impressive week at the Senior Bowl:

Then, things got a little crazy — even before the 49ers’ head-scratching decision to draft a punter, Utah’s Mitch Wishnowsky, in the fourth round. Despite the team’s glaring roster needs in the secondary and elsewhere, the 49ers used the No. 67 overall selection of the 2019 NFL Draft on another wide receiver, Baylor’s Jalen Hurd. But is the former Tennessee running back actually a wide receiver? I sat down with Aaron Wilson of Insidethe49.com to review Hurd’s college tape and discuss how the third-round draft pick fits into the 49ers’ plans in 2019:

CW: Were you surprised when the 49ers went with back-to-back wide receivers in Day 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft?

AW: Considering the number of holes in the Niners’ current roster, drafting a second wideout seemed a bit unnecessary and was definitely surprising.

CW: I agree. Initially, the 49ers’ following two selections appeared to be a pair of luxury picks you would expect from a perennial Super Bowl contender, and not a four-win team coming off its fourth-straight consecutive losing season. Given “Lynchahan’s” failures in the third and fourth rounds of the draft, yet another miss will surely call the front office’s talent evaluation process into question.

Although the 49ers’ 2018 receiving corps lacked a 500-yard receiver, the team appeared to enter the offseason in fairly good shape at the position, partially due to the emergence of tight end George Kittle as an elite talent in the passing game. After drafting wide receivers Dante Pettis and Samuel in the second round of consecutive drafts, I expected the 49ers to address a more glaring position-of-need, particularly in the team’s oft-injured secondary.

I didn’t know much about Hurd prior to the draft, outside of his transition from running back to wide receiver. But after reviewing his college game film, it appears that Hurd has more to his game than most prospects at the position, and we all know that being multiple is an ability Shanahan covets from his offensive playmakers. What did you see from Hurd when you broke down his game film during his single season at Baylor, as well as his three years at Tennessee?…..

About the Author: Chris Wilson

Creating content.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!