Earlier this week, Mike Mayock posted his first positional rankings of the 2016 NFL Draft season. On Thursday, we took a look at quarterbacks, on Friday we took a look at inside linebackers, and then interior offensive linemen, on Saturday we looked at tight ends, and on Sunday we looked at safeties. We're going to continue moving through these position-by-position, and for this post we move over to the safety position
Here's how Mayock ranked out the top five wide receivers in the 2016 NFL Draft:
1. Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
2. Corey Coleman, Baylor
3. Michael Thomas, Ohio State
4. Josh Doctson, TCU
5. Will Fuller, Notre Dame
The 49ers wide receiver position is an interesting one, to say the least. The team reunited Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith last season, but they rarely used Smith's deep threat abilities. He made some big plays, but all too frequently seemed more a decoy than anything else.
This year, Boldin seems a strong candidate to depart, and DeAndre Smelter would seemingly get a shot at replacing him in the lineup. Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington, DeAndrew White and Jerome Simpson will be competing for opportunities, but the team still lacks a true No. 1 wide receiver. Smith is a deep threat, but he still feels like no more than a 1a type of receiver.
Trent Baalke has not done a good job when it comes to adding wide receivers in the draft. It's become a bit of a running joke, but it's a serious issue. It will be interesting to see what influence Chip Kelly has on offensive skill position players as a whole, and not just quarterbacks.