Emmanuel Sanders wasn’t the only receiver the 49ers chased in the trade market. Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was also a target of theirs before Atlanta traded him to New England for a second-round pick according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
The 49ers eventually swapped a third and a fourth-round pick for Sanders and a fifth with the Broncos, but the fact they were in on Sanu isn’t a huge surprise.
Sanu has familiarity with Shanahan after signing with the Falcons during Shanahan’s second season as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator. He posted a then-career-best 59 catches for 653 yards and four touchdowns in his lone season with Shanahan. He would’ve been able to plug into the 49ers’ receiving corps right away. Now he’s headed to New England instead.
The 49ers eventually snagged Sanders, who doesn’t have familiarity with Shanahan, but he did play for former 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello, who’s now the offensive coordinator in Denver. Sanders should be able to play relatively quickly.
Sanu and Sanders have been pretty comparable from a production standpoint this season. Sanu had 33 catches for 313 yards and one touchdown in seven games for the Falcons. Sanders posted 30 receptions for 367 yards and two touchdowns in seven games with the Broncos.
Either player would’ve been an upgrade for San Francisco’s underwhelming passing attack. Their pursuit of Sanu likely ended when the price tag became a second-round pick. They sent their 2020 second-round selection to Kansas City in the Dee Ford trade.
The 49ers used their second-and-third round picks on receivers in this year’s draft, but third-round pick Jalen Hurd is on injured reserve, and second-round pick Deebo Samuel missed Week 7 with a groin injury. It’s clear the team recognized they needed help at receiver. Sanders will provide some of that relief, even though he wasn’t the only player the 49ers pursued.
