San Francisco 49ers: Looking at locks and bubble-watch players after the NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
Cornerback
Prince Charles Iworah, Dontae Johnson, Keith Reaser, Will Redmond, Rashard Robinson, K’Waun Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon
Cornerback is going to be an important position this season, especially considering the amount of Cover 3 defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will run.
This means a lot of one-on-one coverage, and the 49ers are all but guaranteed to start second-year pro Rashard Robinson and rookie corner Ahkello Witherspoon.
Rashard Robinson: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, 32 1/4" arms
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) April 29, 2017
Akhello Witherspoon: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, 33" arms
The #49ers have their starting CBs.
If the 49ers didn’t add Witherspoon during the NFL Draft, Dontae Johnson might have stood the best chance to crack the starting lineup. But he’s fallen out of favor in recent years, and the new regime might be looking at him as an excess commodity.
Related Story: What Happened to Cornerback Dontae Johnson?
Offseason pickup, corner K’Waun Williams, is the favorite to play nickel. His strongest competition is likely Will Redmond, who missed all of 2016 while recovering from a collegiate ACL tear.
San Francisco probably winds up keeping five cornerbacks. More, perhaps, if a few of them double on special teams. But this likely winds up being one of the more heated competitions in training camp.