The 49ers’ selection of wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 of the 2024 draft made plenty of waves regarding the future of San Francisco’s receiving corps. While speculation swirled about where he fit in the near and long-term, the 49ers made another addition to their receiving corps when they selected WR Jacob Cowing with the final pick of the fourth round.
Cowing’s 5-8, 168-pound frame is a big reason he slid, but it didn’t deter Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar from calling him the 49ers’ best sleeper in a list of underrated picks in this year’s draft.
Despite his frame, Farrar’s praise for Cowing is effusive thanks to the receiver’s deep speed and ability to win in the short areas of the passing game.
In 2023, the 5′ 8⅜”, 163-pound Cowing had six receptions on passes of 20 or more air yards on a team where the deep ball wasn’t a feature. His tape shows a lot of speed potential, and in today’s NFL, teams are less concerned with smaller receivers, given the use of motion and multiple deployments to keep them open, and away from bigger, more aggressive defenders.
And here’s Farrar talking about Cowing with NFL analyst Greg Cosell, who has been a huge Cowing fan since the receiver was at UTEP in 2021:
New "Xs and Os with @gregcosell" The @49ers didn't just get Ricky Pearsall in the first round; they also picked up Arizona's Jacob Cowing in the fourth. Cowing is an underrated speed receiver, and I can't wait to see what Kyle Shanahan does with him. https://t.co/JMhhtEbb1O pic.twitter.com/yFKyRHkcGz
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 1, 2024
A sizable question mark about the 49ers going forward is whether they can continue stacking their offense with high-end playmakers. With the futures of Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel in question finding additional receivers to usher the offense into a new era will be key for San Francisco. Pearsall will get plenty of opportunities to be one of those players, but Cowing could certainly be a major part of the club going forward and another Day 3 gem who helps keep the 49ers’ Super Bowl window open.
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