The 49ers are hosting former Florida State receiver Auden Tate for an official pre-draft visit Wednesday, according to a report from NBC Sports Bay Area.
Tate (6-5, 228) is one of the tallest receivers in the NFL draft. Ten of his 40 receptions last season went for touchdowns, potentially offering Kyle Shanahan a true red zone threat his team lacked in 2017.
The 49ers finished the season ranked 27th in red-zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns on just 47 percent of their trips inside the opponent’s 20. None of the team’s top-three receivers, Pierre Garçon, Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor, are listed above 6-0.
(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
But Tate doesn’t have the speed typically associated with receivers Shanahan prefers. He ran a 4.68 in 40 at the combine and a 4.66 at his pro day. He started two seasons for the Seminoles, finishing with 65 receptions, 957 yards and 16 combined touchdowns. He will have to prove he can separate from coverage or win 50-50 balls in traffic.
Tate is expected to be a mid-round draft pick and would make sense for the 49ers given their lack of size on their receiving corps.
Dating back to 2008 when Shanahan first became a coordinator with Houston, his teams have never drafted a receiver, running back or tight end earlier than Round 3 of the draft.
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