San Francisco 49ers: Ranking 5 worst moves from 2020 offseason
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers not selecting a cornerback in the 2020 NFL Draft
San Francisco didn’t have too many roster holes heading into the NFL Draft this offseason, which was a plus.
Yet one of the bigger question marks was at cornerback, particularly the depth behind the two boundary guys, Richard Sherman and Emmanuel Moseley. Fourth-year corner Ahkello Witherspoon is there, yes, but he’s had an up-and-down career. And the Niners re-signing depth cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Dontae Johnson shouldn’t inspire too much confidence, either.
The 49ers could have grabbed a cornerback with one of their two first-round picks, and that would have been fine. But the 2020 class was pretty deep at this position, yet John Lynch and Co. elected to punt entirely on grabbing someone at this position with one of their remaining picks on day three of the draft.
Some of the names the Niners passed up on were Nebraska’s Lamar Jackson, Virginia’s Bryce Hall, Temple’s Harrison Hand and Tulane’s Thakarius Keyes, among others.
Sherman, Witherspoon, Johnson and Verrett will all be free agents in 2021, and the 49ers could be seriously hurting for long-term starting options with experience next season.
Grabbing someone, at least late in the draft, would have been a smarter move considering the time most defensive backs need adjusting from the college ranks to the pros.