49ers: Redrafting Trent Baalke's 2016 NFL Draft Class

San Francisco 49ers: Redrafting Trent Baalke’s 2016 NFL Draft Class

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell annonces DeForest Buckner of Oregon as the #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 29: Jalen Mills #31 of the Philadelphia Eagles carries the ball after he intercepted a pass in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers on October 29, 2017 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Mills scored a touchdown on the play. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

42. . Defensive Back. LSU. Jalen Mills. 6. player

Original Player Selected: RB Kelvin Taylor

Remember, 2016 was when the 49ers were still using Jimmie Ward as a cornerback, leaving Eric Reid and Antoine Bethea to patrol the safety spots.

But Bethea was aging, and Reid was/is injury prone, leaving plenty of question marks in the secondary.

While he slipped into Round 7, former LSU defensive back Jalen Mills would have been a nice pickup at this spot in the NFL Draft. He has the flexibility to play either safety or cornerback, which is the position in which he’s currently starting for the Philadelphia Eagles right now.

This would have taken some of the pressure off the back end of the defense.