The 49ers have a glaring need at the top of their wide receiver depth chart and question marks at that spot throughout the roster. With two first-round picks to work with in the 2020 draft and a deep wide receiver class to pick from, it appears San Francisco is primed to use one of those early picks on a pass catcher.
History indicates that may not be the best move for the club. They’ve selected eight wide receivers in the first round since 1962 with only limited success.
None of their first-round receivers have made the Pro Bowl since Jerry Rice, who was selected 35 years ago, and only one of them had a 1,000-yard season.
Drafts of yesteryear have no bearing on this iteration of the 49ers though, and they’re constructed in such a way that a receiver will have a chance to thrive on a Super Bowl-ready team.
Let’s look back at the eight other receivers the 49ers have drafted in the first round and rank them from worst to best.