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The 49ers Should Select Cornerback Sidney Jones in the NFL Draft

By Jonah Burros

December 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Washington Huskies defensive back Sidney Jones (26) celebrates after the Pac-12 championship against the Colorado Buffaloes at Levi's Stadium. The Huskies defeated the Buffaloes 41-10. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Washington Huskies defensive back Sidney Jones (26) celebrates after the Pac-12 championship against the Colorado Buffaloes at Levi's Stadium. The Huskies defeated the Buffaloes 41-10. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 20, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; The Denver Broncos offensive line squares up against the San Francisco 49ers defensive line in the first quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 20, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; The Denver Broncos offensive line squares up against the San Francisco 49ers defensive line in the first quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

The 4-3 Under

Head coach Kyle Shanahan will switch to the 4-3 under defensive scheme after accepting his position with San Francisco and with Robert Saleh — a Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks protege — as defensive coordinator.

The 4-3 under scheme is one of the harder fronts to plan against, offensively, according to Shanahan’s experience. It is a scheme that utilizes the same amount of linebackers as defensive lineman in the box and as such allows 3-4 personnel to fit nicely.

The scheme places five defenders on the line of scrimmage — four defensive tackles and ends and the LEO linebacker as a pure pass-rusher. This consequently leaves less pass coverage on the second level and demands superior pass coverage from the corners and safeties.

The 49ers had the worst run defense in the league last year, and the new staff is concentrated on addressing this before all else.

With serious needs for run stuffers and pass-rushers, the secondary would benefit just as much from the addition of those players early in the draft as they would from another corner or safety.

Personnel considerations are paramount while implementing this scheme, and the 49ers are in flux across the defense. While the Niners were historically bad last year at stopping the run, the pass defense didn’t fare much better. The pass defense was middle of the pack but was not tested consistently because the run defense was so horrible.

The new 4-3 scheme could very well prove to aid in this respect, but would expose any weaknesses the team would have in the secondary beyond what was evident last year.