Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Top 5 players who have underachieved the most in 2017

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 02: Center Daniel Kilgore #67 of the San Francisco 49ers prepares to snap the ball during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium on October 2, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 02: Center Daniel Kilgore #67 of the San Francisco 49ers prepares to snap the ball during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium on October 2, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: J.J. Nelson #14 of the Arizona Cardinals makes a catch in front of Dontae Johnson #36 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: J.J. Nelson #14 of the Arizona Cardinals makes a catch in front of Dontae Johnson #36 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Cornerback Dontae Johnson

While former-49ers cornerback Rashard Robinson received a lot of the criticism for the defense’s woes in the secondary, one can’t overlook similar issues surrounding fellow corner Dontae Johnson.

Granted, Johnson hasn’t been committing the high number of penalties Robinson had, but it isn’t as if the former is making a serious impact either.

Johnson is leading the Niners with 40 tackles, but a lot of those have come after giving up the catch. It’s safe to say other teams are targeting him.

Johnson’s 43.6 pass-coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus, ranks just two-tenths of a point ahead of Robinson’s mark.

That’s not particularly good, and it’s safe to say the 49ers would like to make an upgrade here before next season.