San Francisco 49ers: 3 surprise starters for the defense in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers Cornerback DeMarkus Acy
The Niners have a position battle at No. 2 cornerback alongside the veteran, Richard Sherman. And while the initial prognosis would suggest it falls between returning veterans Emmanuel Moseley and Ahkello Witherspoon, there’s a darkhorse candidate here who’s at least worth mentioning.
Undrafted rookie DeMarkus Acy out of Missouri.
Acy should be considered one of San Francisco’s better undrafted free-agent additions. On many a big board, he could have been selected in Rounds 6 or 7 of the 2020 NFL Draft, yet fell through the cracks.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound defensive back is cut from the kind of cloth coordinator Robert Saleh prefers for his boundary corners, and Acy’s production in college, particularly in 2018 when he had three interceptions, is worth mentioning.
Of course, the idea of Acy starting would have to be prompted by Witherspoon’s 2019 regression continuing into training camp, paralleled by the notion Moseley can’t back up what was otherwise an impressive campaign of his own last year in relief of the former.
Moseley, a former UDFA himself, has risen through the ranks. But it’ll be interesting to see if last year’s Super Bowl performance knocks down his own confidence.
If so, and provided Acy impresses enough during camp, we could potentially see a major shocker on the boundary to kick off the season.