GETTY Donte Moncrief #10 of the Indianapolis Colts warms up before playing the Houston Texans in a NFL game on October 9, 2014 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The search for depth at the wide receiver position has not stopped for the San Francisco 49ers, with the latest report saying three different receivers have visited the team.
According to Field Yates, San Francisco have brought in more than just former Dallas Cowboys WR Tavon Austin, with former Indianapolis Colt and Jacksonville Jaguar Donte Moncrief as well as former Las Vegas Raiders receiver J.J. Nelson.
The 49ers brought in a trio of wide receivers for a workout: Tavon Austin, Donte Moncrief and J.J. Nelson. WR remains a position of focus until Deebo Samuel recovers from his foot injury.
It’s a relatively diverse group of receivers, so the 49ers could bring in multiple if they think it’d be worth it, but that remains to be seen.
Donte Moncrief
Moncrief was a highly-touted prospect coming out of Ole Miss back in the 2014 NFL Draft, and initially, set up a pretty promising connection with then-Colts QB Andrew Luck.
After 444 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in his rookie season, Moncrief went for 733 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2015, before following up with 7 more touchdowns in 2016 despite just 307 yards.
2017 saw the receiver fade out of relevancy in Indianapolis after the Colts switched to Jacoby Brissett as their passer, which led to the receiver joining division rivals Jacksonville for the 2018 season.
Much like the entire 2018 season for the Jaguars, Moncrief was a slight disappointment, but was still one of the team’s leading receivers in yards, hauling in 668 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
2019 saw the former Rebel play for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers, but not to much effect with just 18 total receiving yards and four catches over the season.
J.J. Nelson
Like Moncrief, Nelson has also had flashes of success at the NFL level, proving he does have what it takes to contribute ever since he joined the Arizona Cardinals as a fifth-rounder in the 2015 NFL Draft.
After getting embedded into the Arizona team, Nelson put up back-to-back 500-yard-plus seasons in 2016 and 2017, adding 6 touchdowns in 2016 to boot.
However, Nelson’s role was reduced dramatically in the 2018 season, which led to his eventual departure from the Cardinals and joining up with the Raiders.
However, the switch didn’t revitalize his career, and Nelson’s 2019 in Oakland ended with four receptions and 36 yards.
Tavon Austin
As seen in our previous story on Austin, the 49ers are bringing in the former NFC West weapon as a potential like-for-like sub for injured receiver Deebo Samuel.
Since being selected by the then-St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Austin has been a player to watch, albeit his production over his career probably doesn’t match being the eighth overall pick of that NFL Draft.
Austin impressed in his rookie year, racking up 418 yards as well as catching four touchdowns in his first year in the league, and eventually walked out of the Rams with 1,133 yards over three seasons and nine receiving touchdowns.
However, Austin’s specialty of returning already began to make its mark, housing a punt return each of his first three seasons.
Since, the former West Virginia Mountaineer hasn’t found the endzone, but remained a consistent option for the Rams and the Cowboys as a punt returner who can also be used as a kick returner when needed.
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49ers Bring in Former Colts Star, Trio of WRs for Workouts: Report