2020 NFL mock draft: Michael Pittman can be a big target for the 49ers

Since losing the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers have been busy. Most notably, they gave defensive lineman Arik Armstead a large five-year contract and traded DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick.

That’s not all. Veteran defensive back Jimmie Ward was brought back on a three-year deal, and the team gave one-year contracts to defensive linemen Ronald Blair III and Kerry Hyder; offensive linemen Shon Coleman, Tom Compton, and Ben Garland; wide receivers Travis Benjamin and Kendrick Bourne; and cornerbacks Dontae Johnson and Jason Verrett.

That makes sense because the 49ers have just two picks in the top 150 of the draft. What should they do about it? Kyle Posey from Niners Nation is here with an idea in the penultimate selection of the 14th annual SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft.

Posey: Nobody believes the 49ers will be picking here, so I’ll take Pittman from USC, assuming this takes place in the second round. Pittman gives the 49ers a big, strong receiver who can win down the field and on the intermediate level. He’s not going to be a big run-after-catch player that Kyle Shanahan typically likes, but the Niners have plenty of those types on the roster as it is. They need a receiver who can win on the perimeter. Ideally, Pittman is available in the 40s when this selection probably happens.

Pittman keeps Bourne and Trent Taylor inside, and allows the 49ers to keep Deebo Samuel on the move and find creative ways to get him the ball. If Jalen Hurd gets healthy, this will be a fun receiving corps for years to come. I’m banking on Pittman’s consistency over a few other players who may have higher ceilings.

Analysis: This pick is kind of strange because the assumption of a trade. While the 49ers do have two first-round picks, they don’t pick again until 156th overall following a number of trades. That’s why there’s belief they’ll trade the pick. But it’s not guaranteed.

Be that as it may, let’s assume the 49ers do trade down and pick in the 40s. They would likely be picking between players like Pittman, Chase Claypool of Notre Dame, and KJ Hamler of Penn State. But if you’re assuming a trade down, why not assume that Tee Higgins of Clemson is there too? He’s similar in size and playing style to Pittman, and is better at high-pointing the ball.

Our last pick of the mock draft will post later today at 11 a.m. ET with Kent Swanson of Arrowhead Pride checking in with his pick for the Kansas City Chiefs.