Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Top 5 training camp position battles to watch in 2018

By Peter Panacy

GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 13: Offensive guard Joshua Garnett #65 (center) of the San Francisco 49ers lines up during the second half of the NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals beat the 49ers 23-20. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 13: Offensive guard Joshua Garnett #65 (center) of the San Francisco 49ers lines up during the second half of the NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals beat the 49ers 23-20. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 24: T.J. Yeldon #24 of the Jacksonville Jaguars gets tackled by Ahkello Witherspoon #23 and K’Waun Williams #24 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL football game at Levi’s Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 24: T.J. Yeldon #24 of the Jacksonville Jaguars gets tackled by Ahkello Witherspoon #23 and K’Waun Williams #24 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL football game at Levi’s Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Cornerback

Players on Roster: C.J. Goodwin, Emmanuel Moseley, Tarvarus McFadden, Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon, K’Waun Williams, Greg Mabin, D.J. Reed, Tarvarius Moore, Tyvis Powell, Jimmie Ward

Barring injury or a complete flop, the 49ers will start cornerbacks Richard Sherman (Achilles) and Ahkello Witherspoon on the outside in 2018. That’s fine, as Witherspoon flashed plenty of promise his rookie season a year ago, and Sherman has three All-Pro selections to his name.

What about the rest of the position group, though?

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After a rocky start to 2017, nickel corner K’Waun Williams finished his first year San Francisco nicely, which prompted a three-year extension this offseason.

Despite all this, the Niners put a lot of their efforts into revamping this unit — one that had some major weaknesses in depth a year ago. There’s a lot of youth too, especially with rookies Tarvarius Moore, D.J. Reed, Emmanuel Moseley and Tarvarus McFadden.

Moore, a third-round draft pick, played safety in college. San Francisco is asking him to make the transition to outside corner, which could be problematic early on. First-year defensive backs frequently struggle transitioning to the pros anyway regardless of a positional switch.

While he should make the roster, Moore won’t be asked to do much aside from serving as a No. 4 corner option behind Sherman, Witherspoon and Williams.

Things get interesting on the back end, though. Reed, a Round 5 draft pickup, could challenge Williams for snaps as the season moves along. McFadden and Moseley are names to watch at the back end of the depth chart, particularly if either can make contributions on special teams.