San Francisco 49ers: 5 Burning Questions for 2016 Training Camp

What Happens with All Those 49ers Cornerbacks?

San Francisco’s situation at cornerback is very similar to its wide receiver dilemma — plenty of bodies but none cemented as true starters.

Veteran corner Tramaine Brock is penciled in as the team’s No. 1 option. That’s fine and all, but who occupies the second slot? While defensive back Jimmie Ward will likely transition over to his natural safety position at some point down the road, he’ll still start 2016 as the team’s nickel back. So we can cross that off the list of questions for now.

Some young, developing corners to watch are Dontae Johnson, Kenneth Acker and Keith Reaser. All three have been projected as No. 2 options dating back to last training camp, yet none have truly cemented themselves as first-tier starters either.

Tack on general manager Trent Baalke’s selection of three — yes, three — more corners in the draft (Will Redmond, Rashard Robinson and Prince Charles Iworah).

Perhaps Baalke and the Niners coaching staff isn’t exactly enamored with what they’ve seen from the crop of corners drafted only a handful of years before.

Or, if one wants to view it that way, maybe the 49ers were simply stocking up on corners in order to maintain depth within the secondary — a necessity when trying to match head coach Chip Kelly’s uptempo offense.

First-, second- and third-team reps will go a long way in determining how the 49ers feel about their cornerback situation, so we’ll have to keep an eye on that. And, given how young this group is, it’s likely those players and groupings will be shifted around quite a bit as well in coming months.

Next: Joshua Garnett's Scheme Adjustment