San Francisco 49ers: Post-free agency 2019 NFL Draft mock
By Peter Panacy
Despite re-signing defensive back Jimmie Ward to a one-year deal, it seems highly unlikely the 49ers are pinning their long-term hopes on a player who has landed on injured reserve for four of his first five years at the pro level.
Similarly, two-year pro safety Adrian Colbert‘s massive regression last year could be an indication of what’s to come, too.
Granted, the Niners could be hoping for best-case scenarios from the two this year. If that happens, Ward likely signs elsewhere and Colbert becomes a de facto starter in 2020 and beyond.
But those are two overly hopeful situations. And with San Francisco failing to add one of the top-tier safeties on the open NFL free agency market, it shouldn’t be shocking at all to see John Lynch search for a young, up-and-coming safety to address this final level of the defense.
Enter Delaware safety Nasir Adderley.
Adderley, who might be compared to now-Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas, possesses that necessary ranginess in a Cover 3, single-high scheme.
In doing so, the 49ers would be able to take pressure off getting the most from both Ward and Colbert in 2019 with the upside of finding a long-term fix for the secondary’s most important position in this scheme.