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There are two avenues of thought when it comes to evaluating San Francisco's actions in Round 1. Will the team look to impact its dreary 2014 passing offense by selecting a playmaking wide receiver, or will the 49ers go defense first by looking to reinforce a suddenly thin defensive line?

The first option is obviously the most attractive and speculated route.

San Francisco lacks speed on offense. There hasn't been a deep threat at the wide receiver position, and the likely departure of wideout Michael Crabtree via free agency opens up the possibility of a long-term addition here.

Ryan Sakamoto of NinerFans.com projects two particular candidates San Francisco could fill to address this receiving void: Louisville's DeVante Parker and West Virgina's Kevin White.

#49ers are projected to draft in teens and two WRs with speed to consider are Louisville's Davante Parker and WVU's Kevin White. — Ryan Sakamoto (@SakamotoRyan) December 22, 2014

We'll get to those prospects in a moment, but it's plausible the 49ers go defense first. Defensive end Ray McDonald has been released after allegedly being involved in a sexual assault case late in the season. It has also been speculated that fellow DE Justin Smith will be retiring.



Second-year pro Tank Carradine will likely fill one of these voids at some point, but as Sean Meyers of Rant Sports writes, San Francisco should address this need "sooner rather than later."

Further consideration will be contingent on whether or not the 49ers stick with their 3-4 defense next year.

DeVante Parker, WR—Louisville

Parker probably won't slide to the 49ers at No. 15 in Round 1 given a number of higher-drafting teams needing to supplement this position.

But Parker does supply the right combination of size and speed that would make him a bona fide vertical and red-zone threat. San Francisco might be able to pull off a trade-up to grab Parker—something general manager Trent Baalke wasn't afraid to do in 2013 when the 49ers moved up to pick safety Eric Reid.

Kevin White, WR—West Virginia

If the 49ers stay put at No. 15, they could easily find White fall to them without having to make any sort of draft-day deal.

White is ranked as the 16th-best prospect, per CBS Sports, and Rob Rang of CBS Sports has him projected to fall as low as the 19th pick.

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR—Oklahoma

Rang's mock projects the 49ers selecting Oklahoma wideout Dorial Green-Beckham in Round 1. The 6'5", 225-pound prospect has plenty of upside, but off-the-field concerns obviously raise some flags here. These resulted in his dismissal from Missouri prior to 2014, per Dane Brugler of CBS Sports.

The 49ers have taken draft-day fliers on troubled talents before. But one has to wonder if recent consternation within San Francisco's locker room might convince the team to look elsewhere.

Vic Beasley, OLB/DE—Clemson

Dan Kadar of SB Nation switched things up a bit in his latest mock, suggesting the 49ers would go defense first in Round 1. His pick was outside linebacker Vic Beasley. Kadar writes:

This may not fit a big need for the 49ers, but Beasley would be just too good to pass up with the 15th pick in the draft. No pass rusher in this year's class has his first step and ability to close on the ball carrier. With the top three wide receivers gone—and in an effort to mix up this mock draft a little more—Beasley would give them another weapon to get after the quarterback.

Beasley could add some more weight to his 235-pound frame, per Rang and Derek Stephens of CBS Sports, but both admit his pass-rushing talents are undeniable.

Malcom Brown, DT—Texas

The 49ers already have three defensive tackles through 2015—Ian Williams, Glenn Dorsey and Quinton Dial. It's feasible they move one of these players to the outside if needed.

But Brugler mocks Brown going to the 49ers at No. 15. It's not hard to see why. Brown has the physical ability to play any position along the D-line, and his personality and maturity are attributes that would benefit any team, per his CBS Sports profile page.