San Francisco 49ers: Re-Ranking NFL Draft Positional Priorities after Free Agency
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Cornerback
Top-tier free-agent targets like Trumaine Johnson and A.J. Bouye aren’t coming to San Francisco.
The Los Angeles Rams ended up franchise tagging Johnson, and Bouye signed a lucrative five-year, $67.5 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
True, there’s a decent deal of depth on the current Niners roster. The thing is there isn’t a ton of talent.
San Francisco’s best defensive back, Jimmie Ward, is likely shifting back to his natural safety spot this season. That opens up the nickel position, which will likely be held by offseason pickup K’Waun Williams.
Other two players to note here are cornerbacks Tramaine Brock and Rashard Robinson.
Robinson is certainly the more promising of the two, and we can hope for better things his second year at the pro level.
But defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, whose defense will emulate that of the Seattle Seahawks, will put a lot of reliance on his corners in one-on-one coverage. It’s what the Seahawks have done for years.
The 49ers have lacked a true shutdown corner for some time now. And they’ll need to find at least one in this year’s draft.