49ers free agency rumors: Torrey Smith, San Francisco have 'strong mutual interest'

The San Francisco 49ers and impending Baltimore Ravens free agent wide receiver Torrey Smith has a "strong mutual interest," according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. No deal is done at this point, but the 49ers are a "frontrunner among suitors," according to Wilson's sources.

San Francisco was initially linked to Smith on Saturday, but at that point it was only suggested that the 49ers were "very interested," and there was no indication of Smith's thinking. But given that Smith has worked out with Colin Kaepernick in the past and the fact that he won a Super Bowl alongside Anquan Boldin with the Ravens in 2012, it wasn't a huge leap in logic to assume he viewed the 49ers as an attractive option.

Of course, shortly after Saturday's report, the Green Bay Packers re-signed Randall Cobb to a four-year contract. That deal seemed to guarantee further leverage for the top remaining free agents -- Smith and Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin.

As I said before, the 49ers don't have a ton of cap space, but Smith is probably worth the money. The 49ers have been in constant search of a deep threat, and a guy like Smith would do wonders for someone with an arm like Kaepernick. I imagine Smith would start alongside Boldin, which would leave room for a rookie to see the field as the third receiver.

That's provided, of course, that the 49ers have a guy they like enough to take in the first two rounds. Maybe going after Smith is a sign that they're not convinced about rookie receivers which, given what happened last time they were totally convinced, would probably not be a terrible thing.