Skyy Moore fit may not thrill 49ers fans, but Kyle Shanahan needs him

If the regular season had started yesterday, the San Francisco 49ers would have trotted out Ricky Pearsall and Robbie Chosen as their starting wide receivers, with guys like Isaiah Hodgins, Terique Owens, and Junior Bergen as depth.

For a team with aspirations of making another playoff run, that simply isn't good enough, as most of those players are either not top options or have little to no NFL experience.

Sure, in the coming weeks, that depth will look a lot better, as the Niners will hopefully see Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk return from injuries, while Demarcus Robinson will be back from his DUI-related suspension no later than Week 4.

Enter the trade for former Chiefs wideout Skyy Moore, which will reportedly see the former 2022 second-round pick move to San Francisco for a pick swap of sixth- and seventh-round selections in 2027.

Moore has struggled since joining K.C. a highly touted draft pick out of Western Michigan, as there were thoughts that he could be a versatile chess piece in Andy Reid's offensive scheme. But after three seasons where he's caught a total of 43 passes for 494 yards and one touchdown, including nothing on three targets in just six games last year, the Chiefs were ready to move on.

And now he's a 49er for the final year of his contract with a good opportunity to prove that he's a better player than his tenure in Kansas City showed.

The problem from the perspective of 49ers fans is that Moore doesn't move the needle based on his production in the NFL thus far. But he does have some traits that Kyle Shanahan might find useful, including blazing straight-line speed (even if his agility grades, something Shanahan usually values, leave something to be desired):

There's also a chance that Moore may have value as a bit of a Deebo Samuel-lite in Shanahan's offense, something Reid didn't utilize in Kansas City. But mostly, the goal feels like it should be to get the ball in his hands and let him run very fast up the field.

Look, nobody here is going to say that this trade is excellent or that it will likely make a major impact in how the season turns out. But with the wide receiver injuries mounting, the 49ers needed to do something to fill the voids.

So for now, this meh move will have to do.