placeholder image

Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports


49ers make SMU WR Danny Gray a 3rd-round draft pick

Apr 29, 2022 at 8:28 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers selected SMU wide receiver Danny Gray with the 41st pick (No. 105 overall) in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The 49ers acquired this selection courtesy of the NFL's minority-hiring program after the Miami Dolphins hired former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as head coach.

Gray registered 49 receptions for 803 yards and nine touchdowns through 10 game appearances as a senior in 2021, per Sports Reference. He caught 82 passes for 1,251 yards with 13 touchdowns through his two collegiate seasons.

Gray is from Dallas, TX. He earned a pre-draft grade of 6 from NFL.com, which equates to an "above-average backup," per the site's 8-point grading scale.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, the 5' 11 7/8" and 186-pound Gray had a 40-time of 4.33 seconds, a vertical jump of 34 inches, and a broad jump of 126 inches. His other measurables include an arm length of 31 7/8 inches and hands measuring 9 5/8 inches.

At his school Pro Day, Gray had a 40-time of 4.59 seconds, a vertical jump of 36 inches, and a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.51 seconds.

NFL.com projected Gray to be a third- or fourth-round draft pick.

Below is the NFL.com draft profile bio on Gray:

Gray was a first-team all-district player his senior year at James Madison High School in Dallas, as well as a state champion in the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay. He wound up at Blinn College (located between Austin and Houston) for two years and came out rated as one of the top junior college prospects in the country (54-877-16.2, eight TDs in nine games as a sophomore). Gray started eight games in his first year with the Mustangs, catching 33 passes for 448 yards (13.6 per catch) and four scores and contributing as a rusher (3-30-10.0, two TDs) and on special teams (9-180-20.0 kick returns; 2-26-13.0 punt returns). He was a first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection in 2021, leading SMU with 803 receiving yards (49 receptions, 16.4 per rec.) and tying for the team lead with nine touchdowns in 10 starts. Gray missed the final two games of the season with an ankle injury. He opted out of the Fenway Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft but the game was eventually canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. -- by Chad Reuter

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, who compares Gray to Demarcus Robinson, wrote the following within his scouting report:

Two-year starter on the FBS level with athleticism and play speed to project a continuing ascent at the next level. Gray stepped into a top playmaking role for SMU in 2021 and showed an ability to work all three levels of the field. His long, gliding strides separate from coverage on attack-oriented routes but he has the bend and agility to become a quality target working underneath. He needs to get a little stronger and limit the focus drops, but Gray has an inside/outside skill set with intriguing upside as a future WR3 with more work.

Joe Marino of The Draft Network wrote the following about Gray within his scouting report:

Danny Gray was a top JUCO recruit with opportunities to play in the SEC and Big 12 but opted for SMU where he became a productive option in the wide-open Mustangs' passing game for two seasons. Gray is an explosive playmaker that thrived within the spacing of the SMU offense, taking advantage of built-in leverage where his ability to run away from defenders led to big plays. He makes terrific route adjustments to zone and found notable production on shallow crossers, nine routes, and quick screens. Those routes enabled Gray's best qualities in terms of speed, ball skills, and spatial awareness to shine. While Gray has the appeal of a big-play receiver in the NFL, he does have quite the transition ahead of him. There will be notably more on his plate at the next level when it comes to route tree, alignments, and overall technique. Given he has no special teams experience in college outside of a few opportunities in the return game, proving himself on special teams as he refines his game at receiver will be important for him to build upon his appealing qualities to become a more well-rounded player.

Measurables


Height: 5' 11 7/8"
Weight: 186 lbs.
Arm length: 31 7/8 inches
Hand length: 9 5/8 inches

NFL Scouting Combine


40-time: 4.33 seconds
Vertical: 34 inches
Broad jump: 126 inches

College Statistics
Year School Class G Rec Yds Avg TD
2020 SMU JR 8 33 448 13.6 4
2021 SMU SR 10 49 803 16.4 9
Total SMU 82 1,251 15.3 13


Related News





Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

ESPN's Barnwell: 49ers trading up in Round 1 to draft a cornerback 'could make sense'

By David Bonilla
Apr 8

The San Francisco 49ers currently hold the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. While many expect them to address the offensive line, given their recent focus on defense in free agency, ESPN's Bill Barnwell suggests a different approach. He advocates for the 49ers to use their first-round pick on a cornerback and potentially trade up to secure the right talent. Trading up wouldn't be out of character for the Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch regime. The last time the 49ers owned the No. 31 overall pick, they surrendered two more selections to move up to No. 25 overall, where they drafted wide receiver Brandon


placeholder image

7-round mock draft from The Athletic sees 49ers fortifying defense early

By David Bonilla
Apr 17

Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week. "Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote. Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco


placeholder image

49ers address both sides of the ball in latest Kiper 2-round mock draft

By David Bonilla
Apr 10

The San Francisco 49ers have overhauled their defensive line in free agency, bidding farewell to defensive tackle Arik Armstead and defensive end Chase Young while bolstering their ranks with the signings of defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos. Additionally, they acquired defensive tackle Maliek Collins via trade. Having focused primarily on the defensive side of the ball in free agency, the 49ers are widely anticipated to turn their attention to the offensive side in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Long-standing ESPN analyst Mel Kiper unveiled his latest mock draft, this


placeholder image

Six worst first-round draft picks in 49ers' history

By Marc Adams
Apr 13

It is less than two weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers finally have a first-round draft pick, after not having one the last two years. Who will they select? Will it be a defensive player? An offensive player? They could use help on the offensive line and in the secondary and defensive line. And they may also have multiple holes to fill a year from now. Either way, the 49ers need to hit on these draft picks, especially in the early rounds, where they haven't always been at their best. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have some first-round misses, like DT Solomon Thomas and LB Rueben Foster. But are those the worst first-round picks in team history? Neither made this list, though some will argue that Thomas should be on it, mainly because he was taken


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone