Earlier today, Matt Barrows put together a blog post discussing how the 49ers might approach free agency at the wide receiver position in 2012. He made a very useful comparison to the 49ers approach in the cornerback market last summer. When the lockout ended and free agency began, the 49ers appeared to start with the top name on the market in Nnamdi Asomugha. When his price got out of hand they moved down the list of cornerbacks before ending up with former Redskins CB Carlos Rogers.
This year, it will be interesting to see how the philosophy plays out with free agency back in its rightful place before the Draft. The 49ers (and the rest of the league) will be able to kick the tires on some players in free agency, and if they are not happy with what they see, they can always hope for the best in the draft.
Starting next week we'll begin looking at free agent and draft eligible players at pertinent positions for the 49ers. A single post will provide some of the top names in free agency and the draft so we can see how the options best fall out. For now, I grabbed the list of unrestricted wide receiver free agents from Barrows discussion and posted it after the jump.
After Dwayne Bowe, Vincent Jackson and Marques Colston, if Stevie Johnson, DeSean Jackson and Wes Welker all remain with their current teams, who are your next level of receivers? Does anybody strike you as the potential Carlos Rogers bargain of this group?
Unrestricted free agents
Doucet, Early - Arizona
Douglas, Harry - Atlanta
Weems, Eric - Atlanta
Johnson, Stevie - Buffalo
Parrish, Roscoe - Buffalo
Martin, Ruvell - Buffalo
Hagan, Derek - Buffalo
Naanee, Legedu - Carolina
Williams, Roy - Chicago
Simpson, Jerome - Cincinnati
Caldwell, Andre - Cincinnati
Robinson, Laurent - Dallas
Royal, Eddie - Denver
Davis, Rashied - Detroit
Stovall, Maurice - Detroit
Johnson, Bryant - Houston
Wayne, Reggie - Indianapolis
Garcon, Pierre - Indianapolis
Gonzalez, Anthony - Indianapolis
Bowe, Dwayne - KC
Urban, Jerheme - KC
Aromashodu, Devin - Minnesota
Camarillo, Greg - Minnesota
Welker, Wes - NE
Branch, Deion - NE
Slater, Matthew - NE
Meachem, Robert - NO
Roby, Courtney - NO
Colston, Marques - NO
Manningham, Mario - NYG
Thomas, Devin - NYG
Clayton, Michael - NYG
Hixon, Domenik - NYG
Burress, Plaxico - Jets
Houshmandzadeh, T.J. - Oakland
Schilens, Chaz - Oakland
Jackson, DeSean - Philadelphia
Smith, Steve - Philadelphia
Cotchery, Jerricho - Pittsburgh
Crayton, Patrick - San Diego
Jackson, Vincent - San Diego
Ginn, Ted - SF
Morgan, Joshua - SF
Lloyd, Brandon - Rams
Clayton, Mark - Rams
Spurlock, Micheal - TB
Avery, Donnie - Tennessee
Anderson, David - Washington
Stallworth, Donte - Washington
Edwards, Braylon
Moss, Randy
Owens, Terrell