Despite Recent Misses, San Francisco 49ers Must Draft a Wide Receiver in Round 1

Wide receivers, first-round draft picks and San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke share one of those relationships where each party increasingly resents the other.

Well, not exactly. But the interplay between those three remains problematic.

After missing on low-risk wideout Ronald Johnson in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft, his first as the Niners GM, Baalke attacked the position with the No. 30 overall selection in 2012.

And in a high-risk, unknown-reward-like fashion, Baalke swung and missed in the biggest way possible.

He selected the speedy but undersized and unmotivated A.J. Jenkins out of Illinois. Jenkins lasted just one reception-less year in San Francisco before being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for fellow first-round bust Jonathan Baldwin.

A guy by the name of Alshon Jeffery, meanwhile, went 15 picks later and has since produced a Pro Bowl nod, two seasons of at least 1,100 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Baalke responded over the next two drafts by avoiding big-name talents and not picking a receiver until the fourth round. One can surmise—and hopefully understand—his apprehension following the disastrous Jenkins pick.

Now, Quinton Patton and Bruce Ellington—said fourth-round picks—are solid prospects who will earn their chances and can still develop important roles with the 49ers. Baalke said as much recently to the Bay Area News Group’s Cam Inman, via MercuryNews.com:

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From what I can see from the (office) window, I know one thing, we’re fast…er. With Torrey (Smith) out there, with (Jerome) Simpson out there, Ellington is running well, Patton is running extremely well and always could run well for his size…Ellington is a young guy with a lot of talent. [Patton] is a young player who hasn’t really gotten an opportunity; now is his opportunity and let’s see what he can do.

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Ellington hauled in two touchdowns through the air, added another on a carry out of the backfield and recorded several impressive returns on both kickoffs and punts during his rookie year in 2014. The 5’9”, 197-pound speedster will surely improve upon that production this season, with the underutilized Patton looking to put his first real numbers on the stat sheet.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

But passing on the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham and Kelvin Benjamin has been a scourge on Baalke’s otherwise masterful track record in evaluating talent.

All of those physically imposing pass-catchers own a 1,000-yard campaign to their names and have ceilings that stretch through the proverbial stratosphere.

Hopkins totaled 1,210 receiving yards and six touchdowns in just his second professional season. The 6’5” Benjamin compiled 1,008 yards and nine scores as a rookie. And Beckham, whom Baalke could have traded up for last year, amassed 12 touchdowns in just 12 games while leading the league with 108.8 receiving yards per contest. He took home 2014 NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and a trip to the Pro Bowl for his absurdly impressive efforts.

Jenkins, for his unfortunate part, is no longer with the Chiefs and may never play another snap in the NFL.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

To his credit, Baalke has owned up to his historic draft folly, even poking fun at himself in his opening remarks during a recent media session, via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com:

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You’ve got to be able to laugh at yourself in this business, don’t you?...You learn from everything you do in this business…The decision that you make, sometimes you’re right, sometimes you’re wrong. And when you’re wrong, you’re wrong. You don’t push that off on anybody else. The responsibility falls on my shoulders to make those decisions.

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He elaborated further on the Jenkins decision.

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With that situation, it didn’t end up good…It ended up being a bad decision. I think what you learn from is that to consistently stay with your philosophy. So much of what we do is based on scheme and fits. We’ve always said that there are certain characteristics we look for in players. Sometimes you make exceptions. When you make an exception, what do you learn from those exceptions?

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For starters, that you don’t pass on another game-changing wideout for the third straight draft.

Much like last year, this 2015 class features a bounty of NFL-ready talent at the position.

Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, ESPN Insider and NFL Draft Scout, via CBSSports.com, all place first-round grades on Amari Cooper, Kevin White and DeVante Parker. ESPN also qualifies Jaelen Strong and Nelson Agholor in the top 32 while Miller and NFL Draft Scout believe the same for Dorial Green-Beckham.

Lauded experts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both have Cooper, White, Parker and University of Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman landing on teams in the top 14 in their latest mock drafts. That would clearly entail an upward trade for the 49ers.

And if that’s indeed the case on draft day, Baalke must not hesitate.

The 49ers have lacked a bona fide No. 1 receiver since—yes—Terrell Owens. Michael Crabtree was never that guy, Jenkins was never anything and current roster constituents Anquan Boldin, Ellington, Patton and free-agent additions Torrey Smith and Jerome Simpson are all complementary pieces.

Boldin and Smith are great secondary targets in the underneath and deep areas of the field, respectively. And the jury’s still out on which kind of receivers Ellington and Patton will become, or whether Simpson will even make the team.

Janie McCauley/Associated Press

So even if Cooper, White, Parker or any of those other prospects require some development during their rookie campaigns, Baalke must pull the trigger. He must ensure that at the very least the future of this position is secure for San Francisco.

To those who would counter with the age-old, “Don’t mortgage the future on one player” business, remember that Baalke is one of the most draft-savvy general managers around. He trades, stockpiles and moves picks around like a chess master. Plus, the 49ers have nine of them.

If there’s a will, there’s a way—and we all know Baalke has plenty of that.

All team and player statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Joe Levitt is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, waxing academic, colloquial and statistical eloquence on the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him on Twitter @jlevitt16