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San Francisco 49ers: 5 options for the No. 1 pick in 2019 NFL Draft

By Peter Panacy

Commissioner Roger Goodell names a pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the 2016 NFL Draft (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
Commissioner Roger Goodell names a pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the 2016 NFL Draft (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /
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BATON ROUGE, LA – SEPTEMBER 30: Andraez Williams #29 of the LSU Tigers reacts during the game against the Troy Trojans at Tiger Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – SEPTEMBER 30: Andraez Williams #29 of the LSU Tigers reacts during the game against the Troy Trojans at Tiger Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Grab LSU Cornerback Greedy Williams

OK, so this option for John Lynch stands in exact contrast to the idea teams need to select the best player overall when presented with a top-five, or No. 1 overall, pick.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

But, hey. The Cleveland Browns grabbed quarterback Baker Mayfield at No. 1 overall this year, and there weren’t exactly a lot of big boards pegging Mayfield the top overall prospect. And if you ask the New York Giants, who used the second pick in the 2018 NFL Draft on running back Saquon Barkley instead of grabbing a signal-caller to replace veteran Eli Manning, sometimes drafting for need is better than taking the best talent.

Enough of that. The point here is this — the 2018 draft class has more than a few pass-rushers, many of which are first-round talent capable of being landed with the 49ers’ top pick in Round 2.

So, with the abundance of pass-rushers later, another thought would be for Lynch and Co. to grab another position of need: cornerback.

Unlike defensive linemen, there are nowhere near as many top-quality cornerbacks available in the draft. With a thinner pool, taking the best cover player early could be the smarter move.

And with little doubt, that best player is LSU cornerback Greedy Williams, who’d be an immediate upgrade over the underperforming Ahkello Witherspoon.