SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ The 49ers had their choice of all but two wide receivers in the NFL draft when their turn came up in Friday's second round, and their selection was South Carolina's Deebo Samuel.
Only two wide receivers went in Thursday's first round _ Marquise Brown (Baltimore Ravens) and N'Keal Harry (New England Patriots).
It's the second straight year the 49ers have drafted a wide receiver in the second round, having taken Dante Pettis at No. 44 overall last year.
Samuel became familiar with the 49ers under coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff at the Senior Bowl. When Samuel later made a pre-draft visit to Santa Clara to meet new wide receivers coach Wes Welker, he was told what he needed to improve.
Samuel (6-foot, 210 pounds) was also told how he'd fit in an offense that has a glaring need at flanker but also for more play makers Jimmy Garoppolo can target.
"Being able to move all over the place helped me a lot, and being able to play special teams," Samuel said on a conference call with Bay Area media.
Being able to rack up an abundance of yards after the catch is perhaps' Samuel's trademark. Of his 882 yards last season, 592 came after the catch, according to ProFootballFocus.com.
Samuel earned All-SEC honors with 11 touchdowns among his 62 receptions, and he added 570 yards and a touchdown on 23 kickoff returns.
A moment of silence was held in honor of late 49ers scout Reggie Cobb at the draft festivities in Nashville, and Cobb's son, DeMarcus, then announced the 49ers' selection of Samuel.
Before the 49ers' selection, Friday's second round opened with cornerback Byron Murphy going to the Arizona Cardinals, cornerback Rock Ya-Sin to the Indianapolis Colts and offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor to the Jacksonville Jaguars after a trade with the Raiders.
