2020 NFL Draft: 32-team Round 1 mock after Week 4
By Peter Panacy
Hey, look at that. By this way-too-early NFL Draft order, the 49ers found themselves in the Super Bowl. That’s pretty cool.
San Francisco 49ers
On the bad note, they appear to have lost it to the Kansas City Chiefs in the big game.
Whatever, though. In 2019, Niners general manager John Lynch spent considerable effort upgrading the defensive front seven, bringing in edge rushers Nick Bosa and Dee Ford, while also signing linebacker Kwon Alexander to a lucrative free-agent deal.
Yet San Francisco’s secondary was left mostly untouched. And it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the 49ers to make some long-term moves here.
Boundary cornerback is especially pressing. Currently, the Niners are dealing with third-year pro Ahkello Witherspoon being out with a foot injury. He’s had an up-and-down career, while veteran corner Richard Sherman is signed only through 2020. Jason Verrett, the oft-injured corner whom San Francisco brought in on a one-year “prove it” deal, isn’t a long-term solution, either.
Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs is a solid choice here at the back end of Round 1. He might not have quite the same pedigree as, let’s say, Kristian Fulton out of LSU. But Diggs’ 6-foot-2, 207-pound frame fits the mold for what San Francisco is trying to achieve within its defense.