San Francisco 49ers: Cornerback is No. 1 position needing attention in 2020

The San Francisco 49ers don’t have too many needs heading into 2020, but they could stand to make some notable upgrades at cornerback over all other positions.

Unlike recent years, the 2020 San Francisco 49ers don’t have a lot of holes on their roster. Unlike recent years, the 2020 Niners aren’t in need of three or four home-run NFL Draft picks or quality free-agent signings.

Yes, a lot has changed since the painful days following the abysmal 2016 season.

All that said, San Francisco still has to make some critical moves heading into the offseason. Wide receiver is a big question mark, especially with veteran pass catcher Emmanuel Sanders hitting free agency and the team’s relative lack of proven depth behind him. Defensive back Jimmie Ward is a pending free agent, too, and the 49ers could stand to find a long-term replacement at free safety. The offensive line could use some depth and possible upgrades, and the running back situation isn’t entirely figured out, either.

Of all the positions needing some tweaks, however, none stand out as much as cornerback.

This is due to a multitude of reasons, both immediate and long term. The long-term worries are pretty simple. Veteran corner Richard Sherman will turn 32 years old next month, and he’s also entering a contract year. While the 2019 Pro Bowler played at an extremely high level, one has to wonder how serious the Niners are about re-signing or extending him beyond this season.

That creates a long-term opening. And it would be one thing if San Francisco had a quality replacement to eventually fill the void, should it open up.

The thing is, though, the 49ers don’t exactly have that. Two other boundary cornerbacks, Ahkello Witherspoon and Emmanuel Moseley, assumed the No. 2 role opposite Sherman in 2019. Witherspoon, before suffering a foot sprain in Week 3, was excellent early on during the season, suggesting he had completely bounced back from an otherwise forgettable 2018 campaign.

Moseley, meanwhile, was solid enough, too, in Witherspoon’s stead.

So, why would this position be one of significant need?

The key problem is consistency. Witherspoon’s up-and-down tenure with San Francisco eventually resulted in Pro Football Focus naming him the No. 82 overall corner in 2019 out of 113 qualifiers. Even when given his starting job back late in the season, he subsequently lost it to Moseley. That event replicated itself again in the playoffs when the 49ers elected to start Witherspoon in the divisional round against the Minnesota Vikings.

Simply put, 2020 is going to be a career-defining year for the Niners’ third-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft.

Moseley, meanwhile, is the wild card. While his massive gaffe in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs was ugly, there’s enough to suggest he could be a long-term starter on the cheap — his 2019 cap hit was just under $500,000. An exclusive-rights free agent, his tender won’t cost San Francisco much.

Yet even if Moseley asserts himself into a starting role, the 49ers don’t exactly have a long-term option in play to replace Sherman when that time comes.

And considering most defensive backs tend to struggle in transitioning from the collegiate ranks to the pros, one might figure the Niners grabbing a corner now in the 2020 NFL Draft would be a top priority.

Unless the 49ers are banking on a bounce-back campaign from Witherspoon and/or Sherman re-signing with San Francisco in 2021.