Niner Noise
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49ers NFL Draft needs: 2018 cornerback big board

By Jay Marsdale

AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 09: Brandon Jones #19 of the Texas Longhorns congratulates Holton Hill #5 after a touchdown in the third quarter against the San Jose State Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 09: Brandon Jones #19 of the Texas Longhorns congratulates Holton Hill #5 after a touchdown in the third quarter against the San Jose State Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Quenton Meeks #24 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates his 66 yard interception for a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first quarter of the 102nd Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2016 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Quenton Meeks #24 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates his 66 yard interception for a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first quarter of the 102nd Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2016 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

No. 5: Quenton Meeks (STAN)

A big, intelligent corner from Stanford, who is being undervalued in the draft because of his lack of speed.

Sounds like another corner the 49ers know very well in Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks.

I am not going to predict that Quenton Meeks will be anywhere near the player Sherman is, but their circumstances are eerily similar. Meeks was able to keep up with college receivers, but scouts have questioned his speed against the NFL’s best receivers.

The 49ers need to look for players to make big plays at the cornerback position. Each one of the players on this list has the ability to change any given game immediately. Meeks is no different.

One moment in Meeks career that stands out came in the 2016 Rose Bowl. His 66-yard interception returned for a touchdown showed that his speed is there. It isn’t a speed that tests out well in the 40-yard dash, but it is in-game quickness.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: 5 options for Reuben Foster insurance

Meeks will not cost the 49ers one of their top-two selections in the 2018 NFL Draft. Teams will be scared off by his “flaws” making him closer to a third- or fourth-round pick this year. Meeks is a low-risk pick for the 49ers and could turn into the exact player they need.

The Seahawks benefited from taking this type of chance. Now its San Francisco’s turn.