The first wave of offseason moves left the 49ers with a large portion of their Super Bowl roster intact. However, a slew of trades, signings, and departures have left San Francisco with a list of new needs going into the NFL draft in April.
The list itself hasn’t changed much, but the order and the urgency of it certainly has. There are now clear holes on the roster and in the starting lineups on both sides of the ball that’ll need to be addressed in the draft.
Here’s what the list looks like after a week of free agency chaos:
Wide receiver
This was always a need for the 49ers, but it firmly planted itself at the top of the list when Emmanuel Sanders agreed to a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints. Sanders’ exit leaves the 49ers’ receivers room relatively young and full of unproven talent. Not adding a receiver could wind up leaving San Francisco woefully short at the position going into the year. Another midseason trade could be on the table, but it’s hard to imagine they don’t go this direction with one of their early picks to try and replenish the talent void left by Sanders.