Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Previewing the 2019 NFL Draft market at safety

By Peter Panacy

DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 20: Juan Thornhill #21 of the Virginia Cavaliers inbtercepts a pass intended for Johnathan Lloyd #5 of the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 20: Juan Thornhill #21 of the Virginia Cavaliers inbtercepts a pass intended for Johnathan Lloyd #5 of the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
BATON ROUGE, LA – NOVEMBER 03: Deionte Thompson #14 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after the LSU Tigers missed a second half field goal at Tiger Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alabama won the game 29-0. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – NOVEMBER 03: Deionte Thompson #14 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after the LSU Tigers missed a second half field goal at Tiger Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alabama won the game 29-0. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Day 1 Safety Prospects for the 49ers

Again, the Niners are highly unlikely to use their current first-round NFL Draft choice on a safety.

But if John Lynch elects to trade down from No. 2 overall, or possibly move up from early in Round 2, things can get a bit more interesting.

There are arguably only two free safeties worth thinking about in the first round, Alabama’s Deionte Thompson and Virginia’s Juan Thornhill. That could change, as players’ pro days and other factors ebb and flow, but let’s stick with those two for now.

Deionte Thompson, Alabama

We didn’t get to see Thompson perform at the NFL Scouting Combine, but that hasn’t done much to hurt his NFL Draft stock.

At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Thompson has more than ideal body size for a rangy safety. His sideline-to-sideline skills are among the best among safety prospects, and he’s still Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller’s favorite pick in a single-high scheme:

Adding three interceptions over the past two seasons also could help the 49ers’ lackluster turnover efforts from a year ago, too.

Two problems exist, however. First, Alabama isn’t exactly known for being a top school for defensive back prospects. Additionally, Thompson is likely to go in the late teens or early 20s of Round 1. That’s an area in which the Niners likely won’t be selecting, even from a trade up from Round 2.

Juan Thornhill, Virginia

It’s much more realistic for San Francisco to target Thornhill through a trade up from the second round, and the 6-foot-0, 205-pound prospect was able to show both solid speed and agility during his combine drills.

Thornhill also flashed more ballhawking skills than Thompson, picking up 10 interceptions the last two seasons. That’s impressive, and one could argue Thornhill is the more ready-to-go prospect, albeit with a lower ceiling, than Thompson.

That said, Thornhill is a bit more of a liability in run defense, and it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to what will be far more complex routes at the pro level.

Still, it wouldn’t be shocking if Thornhill is at least on the 49ers’ radar on draft day.