No. 3: K’Waun Williams (Nickel)
Like the No. 2 spot on the depth chart, the 49ers have a key decision to make at nickel cornerback.
There are two options San Francisco has here — Will Redmond and K’Waun Williams.
Williams has the bonus of being one of the first players brought in by general manager John Lynch this offseason. Even though Williams missed all of 2016 with an injury, Pro Football Focus’ Jeff Deeney pointed out how effective the 5-foot-9 cornerback performed the previous two seasons:
In his first two seasons (2014-15) K'Waun Williams allowed a solid 57% catch rate and 9.3 yards per catch when lined up in the slot. #49ers
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) February 22, 2017
On the other hand, Redmond is trying to bounce back from missing his rookie year also. A member of former GM Trent Baalke’s infamous “All-ACL” team, Redmond appeared to look much better early in camp.
But Williams is starting to pull away, at least according to Rob Lowder of Niners Wire:
#49ersCamp Notes - Day 7: K'Waun Williams continues to solidify his status as #49ers top nickel CB. INT'ed a deep Barkley pass to Robinson.
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) August 4, 2017
Whether or not this pushes Redmond, a third-round draftee, off the roster completely is anyone’s guess.
But Williams’ spot is pretty much assured at this point.