Niner Nate-tion Podcast: What do the 49ers think is their second biggest need?

For a lot of people, the NFL Draft is a lot like Fruit Stripe gum. They love it for the first 30 seconds, and then they toss it into the trash and move on with their day. We spend endless hours talking about what each team will do on the first night of the draft, and give only a courtesy wave to the other two days worth of draft picks. When it comes to the 49ers, Friday and Saturday’s picks aren’t as important as what happens Thursday, but they’re close.

NFL rosters are headlined by the stars but built by the solid players that come from fruitful drafts in rounds 2, 3, 4, and beyond. Those are the rounds where teams try and plug deficiencies in their roster with young, cheap talent so they don’t have to overspend in free agency (see, Alexander, Kwon). What we’ll find out over draft weekend is what the 49ers believe their second-biggest need to be. In today’s Niner Nate-tion Podcast, Nate Nelson and Leo Luna talked with David Liechty about where the 49ers need to strengthen on Friday and Saturday nights.

“To me, at 43 I really feel the value and depth is there at receiver,” Liechty said, “I feel that is a glaring hole, even though you have Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. That wide receiver room behind them, what do we got? Trent Sherfield? River Cracraft? What if somebody goes down like we’ve seen in the past?”

I’ve already seen one game where the 49ers were depending on River Cracraft to deliver on offense, and I really don’t need to see another one. Quarterback in round 1 and wide receiver in round 2 would definitely make for an interesting draft, but it’s hardly the only position the guys brought up.

To hear the other areas the 49ers might target, take a listen to today’s Niner Nate-tion Podcast. Feel free to mash that subscribe button while you’re here.

Other topics in today’s episode

-Why the Mac Jones rumors persist, and why he ain’t it at 3

-One potential sleeper that could be a weapon for Kyle Shanahan