The 49ers have been looking for a downfield threat ever since Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017, and they are reportedly keeping tabs on one that could be available in the upcoming NFL Draft.
According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, San Francisco conducted an interview with Nebraska wide receiver Samori Toure on Monday.
An older prospect at 24 years of age, Toure was a dominant FCS receiver before transferring to Nebraska last season. At the University of Montana, Toure finished his career with 155 receptions for 2,488 yards and 20 touchdowns, ranking in the top 12 in Montana history in each of those categories.
Following his transfer to Nebraska, Toure entered the 2021 season on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, handed out the best receiver in college football. While he didn’t quite live up to those lofty expectations, Toure had a good season, finishing with 46 receptions, 898 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He also had five separate games with over 100 receiving yards.
Toure is an interesting prospect. He has decent size at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, but tends to work better out of the slot. Additionally Toure is not a speedster, but is known for being an exceptional downhill threat, gaining speed as he runs deeper routes and showing excellent ball skills. He posted the second-highest yards per catch (19.5) in Nebraska history.
The 49ers already have a great receiving corps in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings, but none of the three are huge threats down the field. Samuel and Aiyuk are best at turning short to medium routes into big gains via run after the catch, while Jennings is a true possession receiver.
Toure is considered to be a mid-round selection, and San Francisco could look to add him with one of their four picks in the 3rd through 5th rounds.