The 49ers decided to double-up at receiver as they take their second pass-catcher in back-to-back rounds with the selection of Notre Dame’sMiles Boykin.
I really wanted to go cornerback here as the 49ers desperately need some help at the No. 2 corner position oppositeRichard Sherman.Ahkello Witherspoonstruggled mightily last season and while theJason Verrettsigning is promising, it’s hard to count on him given his lengthy injury history.
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That said, the value just wasn’t there at the position. Miami’sMichael Jacksonwas still on the board, but I didn’t see him as a good fit in the 49ers Cover-3 scheme as he projects as more of a press Cover 2 type corner.
Because of that, the team decided to draft its second consecutive receiver with Boykin here in the fourth round. Like Arcega-Whiteside, Boykin is more of a contested catch possession receiver but he doesn’t have the elite high-pointing ability that the Stanford product has.
Still, Boykin has the size and physical athleticism to be a very effective possession receiver at the next level. The main difference between him and Arcega-Whiteside is that he projects as more of a big slot receiver due to his inability to reliably beat press coverage. Although he needs to develop more as a route runner before he could be a consistent contributor on offense.
But with his physical upside, Boykin would be a very solid pick in the fourth round. Given that the 49ers didn’t have a single receiver post more than 500 receiving yards in 2018, it seems reasonable to double-up here at the position.
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