49ers pick Arizona WR Jacob Cowing No. 135 overall

SANTA CLARA — Ricky Pearsall also can return punts, but the 49ers aren't necessarily thinking along those lines with their first-round draft pick because of what he's expected to contribute at wide receiver. The 49ers on Saturday invested the final fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in Arizona slot receiver Jacob Cowing, who has an opportunity to become the team's primary return man while also bringing a potential matchup advantage to their multi-receiver sets. Cowing had an ultra-productive college career. He spent his first three seasons at Texas-El Paso, where he caught 69 passes for 1,354 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021. He then transferred to Arizona, where he caught 175 passes for nearly 1,900 yards and 20 touchdowns in his final two seasons of college ball. Cowing was the only player in major college football last season to catch 90 passes and score 12 or more TDs. Cowing (5-foot-8, 168 pounds) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine, and the 49ers recently brought him to their facility for a Top-30 visit. He received pre-draft comparisons to Tank Dell, who caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven TDs as a rookie for the Houston Texans...