2018 NFL Draft: 5 Big-bodied wide receiver targets for San Francisco 49ers

Simmie Cobbs

It helps in your senior year to have a big game in the national spotlight. Indiana’s Simmie Cobbs did that right off the bat as he caught 11 balls for 149 yards and a touchdown in a season-opening loss to Ohio State. And that performance was far from an anomaly in Cobbs’ career, which was impacted by an ankle injury that saw him miss the 2016 season.

Indeed, Cobbs finished his collegiate career with 139 catches for 1990 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, taking advantage of his 6-4 and 220-pound frame to have success as part of the Hoosiers’ offense in a tough Big Ten conference.

Cobbs excels at adjusting to inaccurate passes and dominates at the catch point, showing an ability to bring in the ball over the heads of defenders. He is a hands-catcher who tracks the ball well and, though Cobbs is not a particularly skilled route-runner, he has shown some ability to win inside and generate separation with physicality.

While Cobbs can pick up yards after the catch, he is far from elusive in the open field and still has a number of areas he needs to work on. He does not boast top-end speed and has been called for offensive pass interference penalties due to over physicality.

Boxing out defenders has also been an issue for Cobbs, but his potential as a red zone target is most certainly there, the question for the 49ers will be whether his lack of polish as a route-runner and his relatively limited upside as a runner in the open field makes him a receiver they are willing to pass over.