The San Francisco 49ers had six wide receivers play at least some role in the offense this past season. Anquan Boldin led the way with 83 catches, followed by Michael Crabtree's 68 and Stevie Johnson's 35. Reserves Brandon Lloyd, Bruce Ellington and Quinton Patton combined for 23 receptions.
Heading into the 2015 season, three of these players, Crabtree, Johnson and Lloyd have moved on.
The 49ers have lacked top-quality depth and an explosive presence at the wide receiver position for several years.
In reality, the 2014 draft was when the wide receiver spot should have been addressed. It was the best crop of wide receivers coming out of college in the NFL's history. There were five receivers selected in the first round and 15 overall in the first three rounds.
Unfortunately, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke elected to pass on drafting a receiver early in the draft, instead waiting until the 106th overall pick to select Bruce Ellington.
After the 2014 season, the 49ers signed Torrey Smith and Jerome Simpson as free agents, but it remains a major question as to whether they can produce more than the departed Crabtree, Johnson and Lloyd.
Heading into the 2015 draft, wide receiver was a position of need, and once again, Baalke neglected to draft anyone likely to make an impact at the position in the upcoming season.
The 49ers selected DeAndre Smelter in the fourth round, with the 132nd overall pick. See his draft profile on NFL.com.
With Smelter coming off an ACL tear late in the 2014 season, he is unlikely to play in 2015, as this looks like another one of Baalke's picks, where he takes an injured player with the idea of essentially giving him a redshirt year to recover.
The bottom line is that Baalke has not dramatically upgraded the wide receiver position, so the improvement in this key area must come from within.
Let's take a closer look at the current wide receivers on the San Francisco roster.
