5 Reasons the 49ers should NOT draft Henry Ruggs III

Most draft experts expect the 49ers to take Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III with the 13th pick.

What a mistake Ruggs would be for the 49ers.

Ruggs is a good player and an excellent athlete -- he ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at the Combine. But he’s not what the 49ers need, and he’s not the best use of the 13th pick.

Here are five reasons why the 49ers absolutely, positively must not take Ruggs with pick No. 13.

1. This year’s class of wide receivers is extremely deep. The 49ers can find one who’s as good or better than Ruggs with the 31st pick, or even in the second round if the 49ers trade down.

2. The 49ers’ biggest need is not wide receiver -- it’s cornerback. The 49ers already have one of the top young receivers in the NFL -- Deebo Samuel. The 49ers do not have any players of Samuel’s caliber in the secondary. They have Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon, all of whom will be free agents after next season. The 49ers’ best young cornerback is Emmanuel Moseley, who gave up the 44-yard catch to Tyreek Hill in the Super Bowl. Do the 49ers want Moseley to start 17 games next season? Probably not.

3. Ruggs was Alabama’s No. 3 receiver. The No. 1 receiver was Jerry Jeudy, and the No. 2 receiver was DeVonta Smith. Opposing defenses game planned to stop those two, not Ruggs. How many college No. 3 receivers have become No. 1 receivers in the NFL? Anyone? Bueller?

4. Ruggs would be redundant. Sure, he’s fast, but the 49ers already have two fast receivers -- Marquise Goodwin and Travis Benjamin. And sure, Ruggs is dangerous after the catch, but so is Samuel. The 49ers need a big, fast wide receiver who makes difficult catches over the middle, and that’s not Ruggs. He’s 5’11”. The 49ers already have five wide receivers who are 5’11” or shorter. They need a big guy to complement Samuel.

5. Ruggs would be a poor fit with Jimmy Garoppolo. Ruggs primarily is a deep threat -- he should go to a team with a great deep thrower. Garoppolo threw deep less frequently than any other starting quarterback last season. Only six percent of his passes traveled 20 or more yards in the air. He throws mostly short and intermediate passes. When he became the 49ers’ starter in 2017, Goodwin had to change his game to accommodate Garoppolo. Goodwin became a possession receiver who ran lots of slants and in-routes. Before Garoppolo, Goodwin was a deep threat.

Ruggs would have to change his game as well.

Just say no to Ruggs.