2013 NFL mock draft: Would the 49ers really go wide receiver in the first?

I went through and updated the Niners Nation mock draft database late last night, and I noticed we now have four of the 40 mocks projecting the 49ers to take a wide receiver. Three projected Tennessee's Justin Hunter and one projected West Virginia's Tavon Austin.

While this is only represents ten percent of our limited sample size, it is still interesting that some think the 49ers might go Matt Millen-style with back-to-back first round wide receivers. I suppose it's not quite Matt Millen-stye until you've gone at least three or four years in a row.

Whatever the case, I'm not sure I buy into the team going receiver once again. It is possible a certain wide receiver will represent the best player available when the 49ers make their pick. But if it's not a Keenan Allen or someone of that ilk, it seems more likely that the 49ers would then look to trade down from No. 31. The only exception might be if the team is already convinced they won't be able to sign Michael Crabtree to a contract extension. However, there is nothing to indicate this is the case, so for now it's just a hypothetical.

The team does have a wide receiver need given the recoveries of Mario Manningham and Kyle Williams, and the question marks surrounding A.J. Jenkins in year two. Is there anything beyond one of the top couple of receivers dropping that would justify a first round receiver?

Check out our mock draft database for more first round projections.