Five 49ers Who Need to Make the Leap in 2016
Dontae Johnson
The 49ers have invested heavily in the cornerback position in recent drafts and need to start seeing some returns if their defense is going to reestablish itself as one of the better units in the NFL.
Dontae Johnson enjoyed a promising rookie year in 2014, which made the decision to start Kenneth Acker ahead of him in 2015 a strange one.
Whatever former head coach Jim Tomsula’s reasons were for not picking Johnson as a starter, they are now irrelevant, as Johnson has a new chance to become as a key component of the defense.
And Johnson has a lot of qualities that make him a decent bet for considerable playing time. He has good length at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, is willing to be physical to with receivers and possesses decent ball skills — putting up 11 passes defensed and one interception in his first two years.
However, Johnson — who suffered a quad injury in OTAs but is expected to be ready for training camp — has plenty of reasons to be looking over his shoulder, with a number of players in contention to eat into his time on the field.
Acker will be aiming to improve after an inconsistent first year on the field, yet the bigger threat to Johnson’s prospects under Kelly comes from Ward and rookie Rashard Robinson
Ward was one of the Niners’ best defensive players in 2015, impressing at both slot corner and safety, and has received some work on the outside during the offseason program.
Robinson, meanwhile, is of the same ilk as Johnson. He is a long-but-skinny-framed corner who excels in press-man coverage and has caught the eye in the offseason for his aggression, something the 49er secondary appears to have lacked in recent times.
With the 49ers seemingly keen to get Ward on the field as much as possible, presumptive starter Tramaine Brock coming off a decent bounce-back year after missing most of 2014, and Robinson drawing early praise, Johnson has a fight on his hands to be a featured member of the secondary.
It is a fight needs to win and, should he earn a starting berth, then Johnson must deliver on his early flashes or risk being cast aside in a crowded secondary picture.
Next: Quinton Patton