San Francisco 49ers
Not much has changed in The Bay. The defending NFC champions return much of its Super Bowl roster, with one key exception: wide receivers.
The explosive deep-threat Marquise Goodwin is gone after a draft day trade to the Eagles. Emmanuel Sanders, who was immensely valuable to the Niners after being brought in through a Week 8 trade, left for New Orleans through free agency.
San Francisco has a receiving room full of youth. First-round pick Brandon Aiyuk brings a wide catch-radius from the wideout spot.
Deebo Samuel enters his sophomore campaign fresh off the heels of a strong rookie year, but a foot fracture may keep him out for the start of the season. Dante Pettis, a 2018 second rounder, is slated to take Samuel’s spot in the slot, but he was somewhat absent last season. He accounted for just 11 catches and 109 yards last year in 11 games.
With suspect depth at a young position group, the Niners should make it a priority to sign a veteren receiver to take the load off of George Kittle. Taylor Gabriel fits the bill.
Gabriel has the speed to fill in for Samuel, and for a team with few deep-threats, Gabriel would bring back some of the home-run potential that left with Sanders.
