Before the NFL Draft last month, I had Quinton Patton as a solid second-round prospect with the potential to be taken around the end of the first round. Somehow he slipped all the way to the 128th pick, where the San Francisco 49ers happily picked him up. After Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles tendon this week, that pick looks less like a luxury and more like a necessity, as the 49ers’ wide receiver depth is suddenly questionable. Anquan Boldin is a quality player, but he’s getting up in years and won’t benefit from being a #1 receiver. Mario Manningham and Kyle Williams are both recovering from serious knee injuries, and Manningham may not even start the season on the active roster. A.J. Jenkins is a pure slot wide receiver, so San Francisco is in dire need of some help on the outside.

Fortunately for the 49ers, their new third-string rookie wide receiver is one of the most polished rookies in the league, and his game should translate readily to the NFL. He’s already established himself as a favorite of his head coach, and when given the opportunity, I’d expect him to surpass Williams on the depth chart. He’s not the quickest or fastest wide receiver, but he’s a gritty hard worker with terrific fundamentals who excels at creating space and making catches in traffic. His college film showed an aggressive run blocker, despite his lean frame, and his work ethic should guarantee that he's at least passable in that area in the pros. San Francisco were already a run-first team, and Crabtree's injury should establish that even more, so Patton has yet another leg up on Jenkins and Williams. The 49ers have also mentioned that they'll try him out as a replacement for Ted Ginn Jr. in the return game.

For fantasy purposes, I'd compare Patton's prospective 2013 season to Reggie Wayne's second year in the league (2002) and Golden Tate's 2012 season. Patton compares favorably to Wayne as a player, and San Francisco will likely use him a lot like Seattle used Tate last year. In 2002, Wayne tallied 49 receptions for 716 yards and four touchdowns. Last year, Tate ended up with 45 receptions for 688 yards and seven touchdowns. Patton will probably start the season as a WR4 or WR5, but he should grow into a reliable WR3, and might even hit WR2 status for a few matchups. If he really hits it off with Colin Kaepernick, he could be an extremely savvy later-round pickup in dynasty leagues (remember the Reggie Wayne comparison). His fantasy value likely won't be affected if he wins the return job. He isn't likely to be a dynamite returner, and the extra potential for kick return scores will be mitigated by his likely decreased impact on offense.

2013 Stat Projections: 50 receptions, 700 yards, and five touchdowns