49ers Must Pull the Trigger if CeeDee Lamb Falls to 13

Here's why CeeDee Lamb is a perfect fit for the 49ers.

Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, and Henry Ruggs III are considered the top-three wide receiver prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Each of them has been projected to the 49ers at one point or another because the 49ers have a need at the position. It seems San Francisco cannot go wrong with any of the three receivers. You could make a strong case for the 49ers to take any of these players at 13.

But the reality is that only one of these wide receivers makes the most sense for the 49ers. That players is Oklahoma wideout CeeDee Lamb. Assuming they do not trade the 13th pick, the Niners must pull the trigger on Lamb if he falls to them.

On Monday, I participated in a mock draft as a guest for ESPN radio Central Texas where I explained why Lamb would be a "godsend" at 13 for the 49ers.

The reason: Lamb fits the mold of the rest of the receivers on the 49ers, meaning he can block in the run game. Lamb has the physicality that Jeudy and Ruggs lack.

I cannot overstate how key it is for the wide receivers to block in the 49ers offense. There were plenty of instances in 2019 where one of the running backs got outside the hash marks and turned it up field thanks to the receivers holding onto their blocks. 

That is one of the reasons Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin could not find a role in the offense.

Now this is not the sole reason why the 49ers should select Lamb, but it is one of the two traits that separates him from the rest. 

The second trait that separates Lamb: in college, he played against defenses that schemed to stop him. That was never the case for Jeudy or Ruggs, because they were on the same team at Alabama. And that offense had Devonta Smith, who might actually be better than those two.

Lamb has been the No. 1 receiver for years and has produced at an elite level. What is even more incredible is that he has done it with three different quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts. These three were all Heisman trophy candidates, largely thanks to Lamb.

Should Lamb fall to the 49ers at 13, Shanahan and John Lynch should do cartwheels in their living rooms. Adding Lamb to an already loaded offense would just be unfair.