With wide receiver being one of the weakest positions for the San Francisco 49ers as Randy Moss is gone, Mario Manningham and Kyle Williams due to return from injuries, and A.J. Jenkins, a first round pick in 2012, who didn’t catch a single pass last season, the 49ers had to make a move to bring in a proven receiver on the roster.
In yet another brilliant move by general manager Trent Baalke, the 49ers acquired Anquan Boldin from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a sixth round pick. The deal will get finalized when he passes a physical.
During the 2012 season he caught 65 passes for 921 yards, averaged 14.2 yards per reception and caught four touchdowns. While Boldin’s numbers were solid in the regular season, his biggest impact came in the playoffs in which he caught 22 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns.
He’s entering his 11th season in the NFL and so far has caught 772 passes in 140 games and has 10,165 yards receiving, an averaged of 13.2 yards per catch, long of 79 and 58 touchdowns. Postseason wise he’s caught 54 passes for 806 yards, a 15 yards per reception average, long of 71 and seven touchdowns.
For Baalke this allows him to concentrate on signing free agents at defensive end and cornerback without overspending on a wide receiver.
The most likely scenarios for bringing in a receiver is in the 2013 NFL Draft or an inexpensive free agent such as Ramses Barden, Jordan Shipley, Jason Hill, Mike Sims-Walker or Steve Smith.
Either way works and now a weakness has now become a strength.