San Francisco 49ers: Way-too-soon and early mock 2020 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
Like safety, the 49ers appear to be going with a patchwork approach at cornerback. So far, it’s looking as if third-year corner Ahkello Witherspoon is impressing during OTAs, hoping to bounce back from an otherwise disappointing 2018 campaign.
That’s good news. But it doesn’t totally alleviate the Niners’ long-term concerns at the position.
San Francisco is potentially moving defensive back Tarvarius Moore back to his natural free safety position. Oft-injured corner Jason Verrett is only around on a one-year deal, while veteran cornerback Richard Sherman will both turn 32 years old in 2020 and will be on the final year of his contract with the 49ers.
Simply put, there are far too many question marks for the 49ers to overlook this need.
The Niners prefer long, lanky boundary cornerbacks in their defense, and Virginia’s Bryce Hall embodies that. At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Hall has the size and long arms to hold down the perimeter.
He’s fast in coverage, too, capable of matching up with faster receivers at the NFL level. He’ll need to showcase some improvement in route recognition. But the key tools and attributes are already there for a quality third-round NFL Draft pick.