Continuing our offseason grades of the San Francisco 49ers position-by-position, we'll next take a look at the wide receiver position. Unfortunately, it was one of the weakest positions on the team and didn't inspire anything close to confidence on offense. It's pretty clear that the 49ers need to pursue some options in the 2012 NFL Draft or free agency, because these guys won't get it done. It's not all bad, though - so let's get to the grades.
Michael Crabtree performed well, and finally looked like a positive contribution to the offense. He was a force with the ball in his hands and did all he could to make the catch. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Crabtree is going to be a No. 1 receiver in the future. He struggles with top-level corners and is prone to disappear for long periods of time. Still, he had over 800 yards on the season and in an offense that's more confident in its own ability, Crabtree could flourish. B
Josh Morgan looked like he was on his way to a 1,000-yard season before going down with an injury. The most frustrating part about the injury was that it came late in a game that was well in-hand. Either way, Morgan looked really good, especially running slants, and if the 49ers bring him back, he could be a big factor in the offense in 2012. It's hard to grade him based on limited time. B
Ted Ginn Jr. was a valuable return man, so much so that the 49ers fell apart in the postseason when Ginn was out with an injury. Still, he didn't do much on offense throughout the season. The 49ers can't claim to have a great group of receivers when Ginn can be the No. 2 guy. In all fairness to him, he's improved his hands by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, he's unable to run crisp routes and really get open. D
Kyle Williams will draw the ire of 49ers fans for a long time. There's no way to avoid that. That being said, if the postseason showed us anything, it's that Williams takes too many risks to play on special teams. But those same risks don't exist on offense, and Williams is a fast, agile receiver with good hands and solid potential. He was limited in his playing time, but aside from two good performances, he was largely invisible. He was good, but he'll need to step it up big time in 2011. C+
Brett Swain doesn't strike fear into defenses. He had two receptions, and in his defense, he was held badly on a play that would have went for big yardage. Still, Swain is not that great and did not do anything well in 2011, in his limited time on the field. D-
Joe Hastings did not have any stats.
Overall: C-
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