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Free agency can’t get here fast enough. We’ll find out who the 49ers value and which players they choose to prioritize. Twelve more days until the games begin.
1. Zach Wilson
“I’m blown away by Zach Wilson. I feel like I’m back watching, almost, a Patrick Mahomes again. That’s how I feel when I’m watching him. He’s Aaron Rodgers-ish. First of all, his throwing is exceptional. The consistency of the throwing ... Guys are open, he hits them. It’s on the target all the time. ... Then, you talk about the great talent he has. Listen, he’s got the best arm in the draft. … His arm is special and his accuracy is special.
“But it’s the other aspect of his game that also blows me away. When there is nothing there, or, OK, there is a guy open but the degree of difficulty for that throw, and he’s got people around him, it’s off the charts. I knew the kid had talent. I did not expect to see what I saw. It was one consistent highlight show game after game after game after game.
His best season on offense came in his third year when he caught 51 passes for 506 yards and a touchdown.
He broke out when slotted in as the full-time kick returner though as a junior. Wedington averaged 28.1 yards per return on 21 tries in 2019, and backed it up with 23.8 yards per return on four attempts last season.
The sporadic production and lack of top-end numbers could push Wedington off the draft board, but the 49ers have had a ton of success with undrafted free agents. If the Stanford product can provide special teams value, it’s easy to see why San Francisco would be interested.
Renner: The best draft decision for each NFL team in the past 5 years
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: GEORGE KITTLE AT PICK 146 IN 2017
This is a pick that’s so much of an outlier it has to earn this distinction. With 4.52 speed and an 11-foot broad jump, Kittle really should never have gotten to Pick 146 in the first place. That’s the type of explosiveness it takes to be a difference-maker at the position.
2. JUSTIN FIELDS, OHIO STATE
Fields has the unfortunate distinction of being in the same draft class as Trevor Lawrence, but don’t forget that Fields was also a five-star recruit and ranked higher than Lawrence by some platforms.
He then went on to have a wonderful two years at Ohio State after transferring from Georgia. He would be the consensus number one pick in most draft classes. He has everything you want from a quarterback: the ability to go through reads on any concept, elite speed and devastating accuracy.
Somehow he’s fallen on mock draft boards and rankings, and if he does fall in the draft, he will be a tremendously valuable pickup to whoever drafts him. Fields’ “problem” might be that he tries too hard to play the quarterback position and might make life a bit harder on himself by trying to read every concept out all the time. That’s a fake problem, anyway.
49ers rumors: Seahawks have ‘answered’ calls about Russell Wilson
While the reports about Wilson being unhappy with Seattle’s front office, apparently stemming from the lack of protection built in front of him, have been going on for some time now, the general consensus is the Seahawks would have no interest in trading the 32-year-old seven-time Pro Bowler.
If anything, Wilson’s frustrations were merely a part of a proverbial “inner-office” struggle to convince the front office to make some much-needed roster changes.
Perhaps they still are.
Now, this could be another ploy, this time from the Seahawks’ vantage point, to at least explore a counter.
Something like “this is what your trade market is worth, Mr. Wilson” or something along those lines.
If there’s one thing for certain, Seattle wouldn’t have been a 12-4 playoff-bound team if Wilson wasn’t in the folds.