49ers' top-30 visits for NFL Draft offer a window into Kyle Shanahan's top takeaway from Super Bowl loss

He does not possess great initial burst to create separation, though his tape indicates long speed that is quicker than his 40 yard dash of 4.5 seconds. Still, he makes up for a lack of top-end speed with fluidity at the top of his route that regularly gets him free from defenders.

There is nuance to Rice's game as a route-runner that will greatly appeal to Shanahan, with headfakes and clever use of his stop-start quickness incorporated into his routes. Beyond that, Rice is more than happy to lean on his physique to win coverage matchups, and he will utilize his frame to help him separate at the top of the route.

His combination of a refined approach to route-running and imposing frame is reflected by Rice's average of 2.97 yards per route run versus man coverage in 2023, per Pro Football Focus. That put him 16th among FBS receivers in the 2024 draft class with at least 20 man targets, just behind presumptive first wide receiver off the board Marvin Harrison Jr. (3.03).

An excellent ball tracker who displays impressive concentration catching the ball, Rice ticks two big boxes for a Shanahan receiver while being something of a departure from what the Niners have typically looked for at wideout.

Corley is of a more familiar mold, while still offering something different.

Deebo 2.0?

At 215 pounds, Corley is of the exact same build as Samuel, to whom he has often been compared, and he was used in markedly similar fashion in college. Constantly sent in motion, designed runs, push passes and screens made up many of his touches.

Corley's speed, tackle-breaking power and contact balance make him a devastating threat in the open field who would surely thrive used in the 'Deebo' role at the next level. Yet there's clearly potential for him to be more just than a Deebo clone.

He can immediately put defenders in jeopardy with his speed when working downfield. Though his routes lack the detail of Rice due to the specificity of the role he played, Corley has shown prowess in being able to threaten to get over the top attacking vertically before using extremely fluid change of direction ability to break over the middle with significant separation.

Samuel is not just a short passing game and run game weapon. He has regularly made plays downfield, but his reputation has never been that of a top-level separator.

Therein lies a potential difference with Corley, who finished 2023 fifth in yards per route run vs. man among the FBS members of this draft class with 3.72. Samuel's final season at South Carolina in 2018 ended with him averaging just 0.94.

Corley may come in a slightly smaller package than Rice, but he still presents defenses with a physically daunting challenge and has shown great promise as a separator.

What neither Rice nor Corley possess is a proficiency for winning contested catches. Rice's stature hasn't translated to dominance at the catch point and, while Corley excels at adjusting to the flight of the ball and making tough catches outside of his frame, fights for the ball with defenders are not something he has typically won. Corley's contested catch rate last season was 25%, Rice's was 23.5%.

In other words, the problem the 49ers had in the Super Bowl of Chiefs defenders consistently accessing the frames of their receivers to force incompletions would not be immediately solved by drafting Rice or Corley.

And that is why Baker is in the picture.

Baker a potentially ideal solution

Alabama transfer Baker broke out for 1,139 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in his final season at UCF, averaging 21.9 yards per reception.

Baker racked up much of that yardage through impressively detailed route-running and outstanding ability at the catch point. 

He takes a very deliberate and refined approach to his route-running, winning with varied releases that consistently generate separation. At the top of the route, Baker utilizes his stop-start quickness to create hesitation in the minds of defenders as he goes into his breaks, with headfakes an effective part of his arsenal. 

The results of that approach were spectacular last season. Baker averaged 3.21 yards per route run, the fourth-highest among draft eligible wide receivers with at least 50 targets. Against man, he averaged 3.18, 12th among FBS receivers in the 2024 draft.

Despite not being overly imposing at 6ft 1in and 202 pounds, Baker can use his body at the top of the route to manufacture separation, and he plays even bigger at the catch point. 

Indeed, Baker tracks the ball with excellent concentration and attacks it superbly, regularly using his wingspan and strong hands to highpoint the ball and make spectacular circus catches. 

His contested catch rate of 56.3% put him just outside the top 20 for receivers with at least 50 targets in this draft class, with Baker in another league to Rice and Corley in that department.

After a Super Bowl loss in which an inability to separate against man and make contested catches came to the fore, it's easy to see why Baker may be high on the 49ers' board.

Of the three, Baker looks best placed to solve those issues, while Corley is the prospect with the skill set best suited to succeeding in the Shanahan offense with everything he can do in space. Rice is the outlier, but his combination of size and nuanced route-running is an enticing one.

All three, however, possess the ability to make the penalty for playing man coverage even more punitive than it traditionally has been against Shanahan's offense, and a lot more severe than it was for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Many will have watched the Super Bowl and understandably identified offensive line as the most significant issue for the 49ers, but for former college receiver Shanahan, it appears not having enough answers against Kansas City's physical man coverage was just as significant.

None of Rice, Corley or Baker are likely to come off the board in round one. Therefore, given Shanahan and Lynch's extremely well-established draft habits, day two of the draft looks set to be one that will see the Niners focus on ensuring the odds of throttling their receiving corps with aggressive coverage are significantly decreased in 2024 and beyond.