San Francisco 49ers: Round 1 big board for the 2020 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
Xavier McKinney. 3. player. 829. . Safety. Crimson Tide
San Francisco’s Round 1 big board is now squarely in the realm of prospects who have very little chance of slipping to the 49ers at No. 31 overall.
Still, it’s a big board. And John Lynch will be putting players on it who probably won’t fall, but still ultimately could.
One of those is assuredly Xavier McKinney, who overtook Grant Delpit as college football’s best safety prospect heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. McKinney didn’t suffer a 2019 drop off like Delpit, backing up an impressive 2018 campaign with three interceptions, four forced fumbles and five passes defended.
Delpit also excels in single-high over-the-top defensive schemes, using his exceptional football IQ and reaction skills to effectively limit the number of times he’s beat deep. For this and other reasons, it’s almost impossible to see Delpit not being the first safety taken off the boards in 2020.
A 4.63 40-yard time at the NFL Combine wasn’t terrific. But McKinney didn’t have a lot to prove in Indianapolis, and he’ll likely wind up being a top-20 player selected in Round 1.
The 49ers, however, hope he falls.