Why the 49ers Drafted Wide Receiver Ronnie Bell
It wouldn't be an NFL draft if the 49ers didn't take a wide receiver.
Despite there not being a need currently, they still have to plan for the future with Jauan Jennings on a one-year deal. Someone has to fill that role if he ends up walking in free agency next year. The 49ers are hoping that it will be Michigan's Ronnie Bell who they drafted in the seventh round with pick No. 253.
So, out of all the wide receivers available at that time, why did the 49ers like Bell the most to draft him there?
"That he went to Michigan," said Kyle Shanahan jokingly. "Just how consistent of a football player he is. I believe he was a captain and a coach’s son. Not that that means much, but he plays like you want that to be like. He was just so consistent. A special teams player and a good returner. He did really everything they asked. He was very good in his routes. There was not one thing that he struggled with."
Shanahan takes pride in who he brings in at wide receiver. He wants someone with profound work ethic and consistency. It's why Brandon Aiyuk found himself in the doghouse to start out the 2021 season. He would cakewalk it at times in practice. That is always going to displease Shanahan and given that Bell played for a no-nonsense head coach in Jim Harbaugh, that had to have been an encouraging factor to draft him.
"When you can put him into a group, and whatever his skillset is, I think he can fit into any position, and he seemed like one of the more reliable wideouts that we watched in all of college football. We want guys to be good over time and I feel like he’s a guy who has been as good of a football player as there is in college. We have to see how he adjusts at this level but if he can play at this level the way that he did in college, we’re going to have a really good football player.”
Quite the lengthy response from Shanahan on what he liked about Bell to have the 49ers draft him. It's safe to say he was definitely Shanahan's pick and one that he is excited about going into training camp. But he isn't the only one that is excited about bringing Bell to the team as John Lynch echoes what Shanahan said about him.
“I think not the biggest package, but real tough, physical and gritty player with the ball in his hands." said Lynch. "He made a lot of big plays in big moments. The return ability is a big thing. We had [WR] Ray-Ray [McCloud] and behind Ray-Ray we didn’t really have anyone. BA [WR Brandon Aiyuk] has done it before but we wanted another returner. Really, he made it just on those traits. He’s a guy that, the more we watched, the more we liked. He did it at the right times, too. Ronnie was a great addition.”
The 49ers have themselves a special teams role player with the upside of him becoming a solid depth wide receiver. Can he accomplish both this season? It's very unlikely. Luckily for him, he just needs to show value in training camp as a special teamer, then can show off as a receiver in the near future.
