Ranking 5 Former 1st-Round WRs the 49ers Could Trade For

The San Francisco 49ers have a need at wide receiver and have been connected to many different options across the NFL. There are five former first-round wide receivers who could end up being moved by the trade deadline. All five have been suggested for the 49ers in some manner. Who are the best options?

Best Wide Receiver Trade Options for the San Francisco 49ers?

Xavier Legette

Legette went 32nd overall and is only in his third NFL season. Still, he is already looking like a bust. Legette had 497 yards as a rookie, but was down to 363 yards the next year. Through three weeks, he has two catches for 64 yards. If the 49ers want to bet on talent for a cheap draft pick, they could take a swing.

Calvin Ridley

Ridley has three 1,000-yard seasons on his resume. Still, he had 303 yards last year and is being phased out of the Titans offense now that they have a new coaching staff.

The big issue is that if the 49ers want to trade for Ridley, they have to take on his $29.7M cap hit. That will make his cost to acquire much lower. Still, he will be 33 years old and will not have produced in a legitimate manner since 2024.

Jerry Jeudy

Jeudy has fallen behind former draft picks KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, and even Harold Fannin in the pass-catching order. Jeudy is four years younger than Ridley, and his cap hit in 2027 is only $13M. He will cost a little more than Ridley to acquire, but his potential is higher, and his downside is easier to manage.

Quentin Johnston

Johnston is in his fourth year with the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the coaching staff that drafted him is no longer here. The Chargers did pick up his fifth-year option, but that could make him an intriguing target, as he will be on the team for the rest of the year and all of 2027. Johnston is only 25 years old and had 735 yards last year.

Brian Thomas Jr.

Thomas went 23rd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. He produced 1,282 yards as a rookie. Then, the coaching staff changed, and he was not in the same spot. Thomas had 707 yards the following year and is fighting to be the third receiver in the Jaguars pecking order. The talent is there, but the fit is not. The 49ers could add a high-upside player in his age-24 season.

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