San Francisco 49ers: 7-Round 2019 mock draft with 20 days to go
By Cory Kinnan
Round 2, Pick 36: Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
Looking to replace the deep threat and route running technician that Pierre Garcon was for their offense, the 49ers take Deebo Samuel out of South Carolina with the 36th overall pick in the draft. Samuel may just be the best receiver in this year’s draft class, but yet he continues to fly under the radar as D.K. Metcalf and N’Keal Harry steal the spotlight.
Samuel was a hot name following his sophomore season when he caught 59 passes for 783 yards and a score, but just three games into his junior year, he tore his achilles and missed most of the 2017 season. However, in 2018, he bounced back in a big way for the Gamecocks’ offense and tallied 882 yards on 62 catches and 11 touchdowns.
He then went to the Senior Bowl where he was the talk of the town, routinely cooking defensive backs in practice. Then at the combine, he ran a sub 4.5-secon 40-yard dash and hit 39 inches on his vertical jump, while catching everything in sight during the on-field drills.
The Niners get a solid receiver to fill the void left when they released Garcon, and could potentially get one of the most consistent receivers for years to come with Samuel here at the beginning of the second round.