49ers: Jerry Jeudy should be a top target in the 2020 NFL Draft
By Doug Brown
San Francisco 49ers are likely targeting Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. At 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds, he can likely start in place of the lost Emmanuel Sanders.
There seems to be a glaring hole in the San Francisco 49ers team as it is currently constructed and that is at wide receiver. Some experts think the loss of Emmanuel Sanders could be horrible but a player like Jerry Jeudy should more than supplant him.
Jeudy doesn’t have blazing speed but is the best route runner available. Comparing him to another Jerry — 49ers legend Jerry Rice — would be unfair at this time.
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But he has a similar height and weight, excellent route-running ability that can separate him from defensive backs, and great hands. Those are the exact qualifications the 49ers need.
San Francisco traded DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts to move into the 13th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Three wide receivers shine especially bright in this year’s draft class.
The other two are CeeDee Lamb and Henry Ruggs III. What order they will be drafted is anyone’s guess, but let’s just do that.
Lamb out of Oklahoma stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 198 pounds. He is ranked usually as the top or second-best receiver coming out of college, depending on your ranking source.
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He has similar qualities to Jeudy but has shown a bit more physicality. The 49ers would love him, but it’s possible he doesn’t even fall to the 13th pick. He very well could be the first receiver off the board.
Henry Ruggs III seems to fit the least with the 49ers. He’s a speedster who may have a great career but doesn’t seem to fit the 49ers’ West Coast offense nearly as well as the other two top WRs.
If he’s all that’s left of the top three WRs, the 49ers may take him or move to a Buckner replacement on the defensive line. Some see him as the next Tyreek Hill while others see him as a one-trick pony.
This draft could go similar to the 2009 NFL Draft where the Raiders had their pick of wide receivers and took Darrius Heyward-Bey and the 49ers took the second wide receiver off the board in Michael Crabtree. If the 49ers get either Lamb or Jeudy, I think they’d be ecstatic.
As for replacing Sanders, I think either player is an upgrade. In his three playoff games with San Francisco, Sanders had a total of five receptions for 71 yards.
The 33-year-old will be headed to the New Orleans Saints where he’s bound to have a few more good games in him, but with his age, expense, and downward trajectory, the 49ers will do great if they can move on to Jeudy.
First-round wide receivers can be hit or miss. Last year two receivers went in the first round with Marquise Brown and N’Keal Harry going on the 25th and 32nd pick, respectively. This year’s draft has more quality at the position though and there could be two taken before the 49ers get a shot.
I think their shot will be Jerry Jeudy.
Next. 49ers re-sign versatile offensive lineman Ben Garland. dark
His 4.45 40-yard-dash time doesn’t blow you away, but his highlight reel does. Jeudy and Lamb are great route-runners and would be excellent additions to the 49ers.