2021 NFL Draft: 5 prospects 49ers should watch early on

49ers Target No. 5: Defensive Back Jaycee Horn, South Carolina

The Niners could potentially lose two-thirds of their starting defensive back crop in 2021, and the boundary cornerback group is particularly vulnerable.

Even if Richard Sherman stays, him getting up there in age could mandate a position switch to strong safety, which would still open up the need for another cornerback on the outside to pair with Emmanuel Moseley.

Fortunately, the 2021 NFL Draft looks to be pretty deep at the position, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see San Francisco use one of its day-two picks to address this need.

And perhaps someone like South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn fits the bill.

Horn hasn’t been much of a ballhawk during his two years with the Gamecocks, and he’ll likely need to have an impressive and productive 2020 campaign to up his stock level from a Round 3 or 4 level.

But the 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive back has good size for the position, looks pretty nimble on his feet and projects to handle zone-coverage duties well enough.

Considering the 49ers’ recent interest in South Carolina players — wide receiver Deebo Samuel in 2019 and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw in 2020 — it wouldn’t be shocking to see John Lynch tap into yet another resource from this SEC squad.