San Francisco 49ers hosted top-30 visit with 2024 NFL Draft prospect who could be cheat code at the next level

The San Francisco 49ers lost in Super Bowl 58 in part because of the struggles of their receivers to make contested catches.

Their response in the 2024 NFL Draft could be to draft a wide receiver whose skill set could allow him to be a cheat code at the next level, particularly at the catch point.

San Francisco, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, hosted a top-30 visit with Florida State wide receiver Johnny Wilson.

Wilson has arguably the most remarkable physical profile in the entire draft. At 6ft 6in and 231 pounds, Wilson is a massive wideout who possesses arm length (35 and 3/8in) and wingspan (84.5in) both in the 99th percentile for wide receivers.

He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds, though an 86th percentile broad jump was a better measure of the explosiveness that is frequently present on the tape of a long-striding receiver who gets off the snap extremely quickly and can eat up a defender's cushion in a hurry.

Though he has shown intriguing promise on routes working back to the ball, Wilson still has a lot of work to do as a route-runner in terms of adding refinement to that area of his game.

But Wilson's appeal is in what he can do at the catch point. 

An underwhelming contested catch rate of 40.9 percent, per Pro Football Focus, pointed to a prospect who is learning how to make the most of his incredible physical traits.

However, when at his best, Wilson's massive catch radius allows him to make catches others can only dream of, the natural advantage his frame and wingspan creates making hm a mismatch nightmare for defenders.

The question is whether Wilson can fine-tune his game to the point where he can stick at wide receiver at the next level. If not, his future home could be as a tight end who essentially serves as a 'power slot'. With his size giving him an edge as an open-field blocker, a change of position is one that could make a lot of sense.

San Francisco is, of course, firmly in 'win now' mode after consistently coming up agonizingly short in its pursuit of the Lombardi Trophy. In that sense, the selection of a project who might need to switch position might not be the most logical move, even in the middle rounds.

Yet such is the depth on the 49er offense that Wilson would have the luxury of time to develop in arguably the most devastating attack in the NFL. Wilson is not what Kyle Shanahan typically looks for among his wide receivers, but it's a changeup that has the potential to produce frightening results for the rest of the league if he proves a quick learner.