The 49ers have selected a wide receiver in 17 consecutive drafts.
That streak is certain to continue later this month, as the 49ers will look to bring in a young player to help offset the loss of veteran Emmanuel Sanders in free agency to the New Orleans Saints.
The past two years the 49ers drafted two receivers both years.
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Whether the 49ers invest an early pick in a wide receiver or not, they could double back on Day 3 of the draft in hopes of finding a player to develop into an impact player.
Here are three options who could be available in the fourth round or later:
Isaiah Hodgins, Oregon State
Isaiah Hodgins (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) declared for the NFL draft after a junior season in which he caught 86 passes for 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns for Oregon State.
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Hodgins has what 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan seems to value – the ability to run routes with an ability to change direction quickly without losing speed. Hodgins is 5 inches taller than Deebo Samuel, yet Hodgins timed faster in the three-cone drill than Samuel. Hodgins ran the drill in 7.01 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine. Last year, Samuel ran a 7.03. Hodgins’ 20-yard shuttle was 4.12. Samuel’s was 4.14.
Hodgins is not a speed-burner with a time of 4.61 seconds in the 40-yard dash, but he could be an effective receiver on the outside to make grabs with his strong catch radius and keep the chains moving with his ability to take patterns over the middle of the field on third downs.
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Aaron Parker, Rhode Island
Aaron Packer’s teammate, Isaiah Coulter, ran much better in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. But Parker seems as if he would be a good fit for the 49ers due to his route-running, change-of-direction skills and toughness as a blocker in the running game.
Parker (6-2, 209) has a basketball background and posted one of the top three-cone times (6.94) at the combine. Shanahan will see a wide receiver who can get open quickly against man coverage on choice routes. Parker was a team captain who caught 81 passes for 1,224 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior. Coulter caught 72 passes for 1,039 yards and eight touchdowns.
Parker could be available deep into Day 3 in a loaded group of wide receivers.
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Quez Watkins, Southern Mississippi
If the 49ers are looking for a player to take the top off the defense while playing a limited number of snaps throughout the course of a game, Quez Watkins is a solid late-round option.
Watkins (6-foot, 185) is a player who can bring the speed in great abundance. His time of 4.35 in the 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine ranked second behind only Alabama’s Henry Ruggs.
With Marquise Goodwin’s status with the 49ers this season looking tenuous, the 49ers could select Watkins on Day 3 and have him perform a specialized set of plays. Watkins capped his college career with 64 catches for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns.