Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller pegs a cornerback to 49ers in latest mock NFL Draft

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller just completed his latest mock NFL Draft for 2018, and he has the San Francisco 49ers grabbing the top cornerback available in Round 1.

No, it doesn’t look like the San Francisco 49ers are going to get an outside pass-rusher with their first selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Not according to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, anyway.

Miller just released his latest Round 1 mock for 2019. And instead of addressing the pass rush right out of the gate, he has general manager John Lynch grabbing the draft’s top cornerback — Greedy Williams out of LSU.

Here’s Miller’s explanation:

"Drafting a true edge-rusher here would be atop the wish list for the fanbase, but a true edge would be a reach.The next-biggest need remains at cornerback, where the Trent Baalke regime’s decisions still plague the roster. LSU’s Greedy Williams has the length at 6’3″ to play in the team’s press-zone scheme and has the ball skills to be worthy of the No. 3 selection in a top-heavy cornerback class that lacks depth."

Williams is, without doubt, the best corner in this year’s draft. And LSU has a long history of producing top-quality defensive backs anyway.

It isn’t as if the Niners don’t need corners either. Second-year pro Ahkello Witherspoon has regressed tremendously since a promising rookie season. And with the veteran, Richard Sherman, on the wrong side of 30 years old, San Francisco would be wise to start planning for a future without him sooner than later.

The 49ers took a flier on defensive back Tarvarius Moore in Round 3 of this year’s NFL Draft, hoping he could make the seamless transition from safety to cornerback. While he’s appeared in each of the Niners’ nine games this season, he’s primarily contributed on special teams and it’s likely he remains little more than a work in progress.

Williams, on the other hand, would be a plug-and-play starter from day one.

OK, so why continue to neglect the pass rush? That’s the 49ers’ biggest need, right?

Correct. Miller might be a bit mistaken by saying an edge rusher would be a reach at No. 3 (where he has San Francisco selecting). But this year’s cornerback class is nowhere near as deep as that of outside pass-rushers. Armed with another high pick early in Round 2, it’s likely the 49ers could get their hands on an EDGE who, in other years, could be tabbed a top-15 pick.

Players like Florida State’s Brian Burns or Mississippi State’s Montez Sweat could easily fall into Round 2 this year.

The 2019 NFL Draft won’t kick off until the tail end of April, so there’s certainly going to be plenty of changes, speculation and argument between now and then.

At the moment, however, Miller is looking for San Francisco to address its secondary first before worrying about anything else.