49ers’ receiver roulette finally over?

By Chris Cluff  |   Wednesday, May 16, 2007  |  Comments( 17 )

San Francisco 49ers
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Since Terrell Owens left San Francisco a lifetime ago (was it really only three years ago?), the 49ers have had one of the NFL's least-accomplished groups of washouts, er, wideouts. But the 49ers hope they have snared some players who might change all of that.

From Curtis Conway to Johnnie Morton to Brandon Lloyd to Cedrick Wilson to Arnaz Battle to Antonio Bryant, the 49ers have cycled through guys who were washed up (Conway and Morton) or problematic (Lloyd and Bryant) or just not cut out to be starters (we won't even talk about inexplicable first-round bust Rashaun Woods).

The 49ers are one of just four teams without a 1,000-yard receiver over the past three seasons (joining Atlanta, Chicago and New England), and the Niners and Falcons are the only teams not to have a receiver in the top 40 in receiving yards in any of those years (tight end Eric Johnson was 35th in 2004 when he led the 49ers with 825 yards).

To be fair to the receivers, they have had to play with developing quarterback Alex Smith the past two seasons. But the simple fact is that since the end of the Owens era the 49ers just haven't had anybody who could give opposing teams headaches like Owens could -- although they've had a few guys who could give the 49ers headaches like Owens could.

Lloyd had potential, but he was such an off-field distraction that the 49ers traded him to Washington, where he already is on the outs with the coaching staff. Bryant looked like he might become Smith's top target for the foreseeable future, but the connection they had formed early last season faded, and then Bryant found himself in the doghouses of both the law and the team before being cut. The scrappy Battle has fought for playing time for the past two years, but San Francisco knows he should not be starting.

So the 49ers added veterans Darrell Jackson and Ashley Lelie, hoping they might finally have upgraded the position. But it's probably safe to say the future will not depend on a seven-year veteran who cannot stay on the field and a former first-round flameout who is on his third team in less than a year.

No, the future is in the hands of the "third" guys -- former third-round picks Brandon Williams and Jason Hill. Williams, who did not catch a pass after being drafted last year, apparently is taking great strides already. But Hill could be the guy who becomes Alex Smith's main man over the next five or six years.

The former Washington State standout looks like a great find in this year's third round. A local product out of Sacred Heart Cathedral High School, Hill quickly became a star at WSU. He started as a sophomore, setting a school record with 12 touchdown catches and becoming the sixth Cougar to surpass 1,000 receiving yards. He followed that with an equally great junior season, again going over 1,000 yards (1,097) with 62 catches and ranking third in the nation in yards per game (109.7).

He contemplated going pro after that campaign but decided to return for his senior season in hopes of improving his draft stock. Alas, the ever-feared injury bug hit. He still put up respectable numbers (41 catches, 600 yards, seven scores), but not enough to bump him into the second or third round.

Hill finished as WSU's career leader in touchdown catches (32) and then turned in an unexpectedly good combine performance that seemed like it might vault him into the second round. But he was still there for the 49ers in the third round, and that should turn out to be the team's fortune.

Hill need only look to his new teammate, Jackson, to see just how a third-round pick can make it in the NFL. Jackson was a No. 3 for Seattle in 2000 and was starting by 2001, with 47 career touchdowns and three 1,000-yard seasons on his resume.

Hill showed blazing speed at the combine, but that is not his forte. He is a great leaper who gets into and out of his routes smoothly and runs well after the catch. Like Jackson, he has had problems catching the ball at times; but his production speaks for itself, and he certainly knows how to get into the endzone. He is a decent deep threat and is not afraid to go over the middle.

Hill has been compared to Reggie Wayne (both are 6 feet) and Chad Johnson, and if Hill can come close to the production of either of those guys or even a healthy Jackson, the 49ers should be very happy they spent a third-rounder on him.

And maybe, finally, the endless receiver cycle will end.

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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding,...
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CommentsComments: 17  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
jeremy		11:51 AM
05/16/2007
this is something i;m looking to come to an end. I sure hope we found something in Jason Hill cause he is the future along with V...
No.2
jeremy		11:52 AM
05/16/2007
this is something i;m looking to come to an end. I sure hope we found something in Jason Hill cause he is the future along with V...
No.3
Alex Correa		12:02 PM
05/16/2007
Nice article! I am excited to see what Hill can do, and am more excited to see if the niners can live up to this off season hype...
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