Niner Noise
FanSided

5 prospects the 49ers should watch at the 2018 East-West Shrine Game

By Peter Panacy

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JANUARY 21: West's Eli McGuire #1 of Louisiana-Lafayette finds room to run during the third quarter of the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field on January 21, 2017, in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Joseph Garnett, Jr. /Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JANUARY 21: West's Eli McGuire #1 of Louisiana-Lafayette finds room to run during the third quarter of the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field on January 21, 2017, in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Joseph Garnett, Jr. /Getty Images) /
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BLACKSBURG, VA – SEPTEMBER 7: Cornerback Brandon Facyson #31 of the Virginia Tech Hokies breaks up a pass intended for wide receiver Parris Campbell #21 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half at Lane Stadium on September 7, 2015 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA – SEPTEMBER 7: Cornerback Brandon Facyson #31 of the Virginia Tech Hokies breaks up a pass intended for wide receiver Parris Campbell #21 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half at Lane Stadium on September 7, 2015 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Cornerback Brandon Facyson, Virginia Tech

Projected Draft Position: Round 4/5

I did a little bit of spying over at SB Nation’s Field Gulls site, which covers the Seattle Seahawks, and there’s a cornerback to watch fitting the mold of what Seattle does on defense.

The player to watch here is Virginia Tech’s Brandon Facyson who, at 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds, offers up both size and arm length (32 7/8-inches) ideal for single-coverage systems.

Mind you, the 49ers now run a Seahawks-like defense of their own under coordinator Robert Saleh. With a single-high safety atop the defense, outside corners are required to play a lot of man-on-man coverage.

And here’s what Field Gulls had in the scouting report:

"Encouragingly, not only does he have exceptional length, but he uses it properly. He has great timing on pass breakups, never putting himself in a position to be flagged for pass interference, instead getting inside of the receiver’s frames and using his arms to get out in front and meet the football first. Facyson played a lot of off coverage with Virginia Tech, but in the few instances I saw of him playing press, he was patient in waiting for the wide receiver to get outside of the framework of his body before turning his hips and moving downfield."

Tackling is something of an issue, per the report. But the same was said of current 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon prior to him being drafted in 2017. It’s a teachable asset.

With the Niners looking for both depth and a No. 2 cornerback opposite Witherspoon, looking at Facyson would be a good idea.