SF 49ers decision not to draft a cornerback in 2020 has been disastrous

Five weeks into the 2020 season, it’s clear the SF 49ers should have made a cornerback selection in the NFL Draft a bigger priority.

The SF 49ers better be kicking themselves for choosing not to select a cornerback in the 2020 NFL Draft.

San Francisco grabbed an undrafted rookie cornerback, Missouri’s DeMarkus Acy, who didn’t make the regular-season roster and is now on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad. But out of the Niners’ five drafted players from last April, not one of them was a corner.

And the SF 49ers are paying for the non-choice five weeks into the regular season.

At 2-3, it’s possible to look at a number of positions where roster deficiencies are apparent. But cornerback has to be considered the biggest one, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. True, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t anticipate multi-week injuries to their starting trio of Richard Sherman (calf), Emmanuel Moseley (concussion) and K’Waun Williams (knee). But the unusually high number of injuries all teams have dealt with this season forces a harder 20-20 hindsight look at the decision-making process.

Especially when one considers what San Francisco could have done. Especially when fans are forced to watch an unknown defensive back, Brian Allen, regularly burned by the Miami Dolphins when they came into Levi’s Stadium and torched the SF 49ers 43-17 in Week 5.

Few would question the Round 1 decisions to select defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk at pick Nos. 14 and 25, respectively. Both are playing exceptionally well and look to be important pieces for San Francisco’s future.

Instead, the decisions made by Lynch and Shanahan on day three of the NFL Draft are coming back to haunt them and this crucial position, particularly in light of injuries elsewhere on the roster.

SF 49ers decisions on day three of the 2020 NFL Draft

The 2020 NFL Draft was considered to be awfully deep at cornerback. Perhaps not as deep as at wide receiver, but deep nonetheless.

San Francisco didn’t have any picks on day two and had to wait until Round 5 on day three to start selecting again after taking Kinlaw and Aiyuk. But with its first pick in that round, the SF 49ers grabbed West Virginia offensive lineman Colton McKivitz, who is now buried on the depth chart and has seen a mere 12 offensive snaps through five weeks despite this unit’s own woes this season.

The New York Jets’ Bryce Hall and Minnesota Vikings’ Harrison Hand, two promising young defensive backs, were both on the board at the time.

In Round 6, San Francisco elected to take run-blocking tight end Charlie Woerner, who had never accumulated more than 11 receptions in a single season at Georgia.

Woerner is now the No. 4 option on the depth chart behind George Kittle, Ross Dwelley and an injured Jordan Reed, and Woerner is still looking for his first NFL catch.

His first target, for that matter.

Rookie corner Isaiah Rodgers, who is already seeing spot time with the Indianapolis Colts, would have been a smart pickup. Likewise, now-Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Chris Claybrooks would have been a better choice for the SF 49ers in Round 7 than wide receiver Jauan Jennings, whose ugly route running in training camp ultimately earned him a ticket onto the practice squad despite injuries at the position entering Week 1.

How SF 49ers are paying for the non-corner selections now and could continue paying for it in 2021

In Week 5, the Niners’ starting cornerback trio consisted of Allen, Jason Verrett and Jamar Taylor. That’s a pretty far cry from Sherman, Moseley and Williams.

Yes, losing all three of the starters would hurt any team. But the lack of attention San Francisco gave the position during the offseason meant players like Allen and Taylor had to be plucked off the proverbial scrap heap to fill the void.

Neither player is in the 49ers’ long-term future, which again has some serious doubts beyond this season.

Sherman and Williams are both unrestricted free agents in 2021. Moseley is of the restricted variety, and he might be someone another team would consider plucking away from San Francisco depending on the tender the Niners issue, should they issue one. Either way, the SF 49ers defensive backfield is likely to look vastly different next season.

Young defensive backs often struggle upon transitioning from the college ranks to the pros. Routes are far more complex, the receivers are bigger and stronger, coverages are much more intricate and opponents’ quarterbacks can fit throws into much tighter windows.

So, for every New Orleans Saints Marshon Lattimore out there, one has to count at least five or six top-drafted corners who take at least a season or two to adjust accordingly.

This is why San Francisco should have thought about this position a bit more seriously last April. Lynch and Shanahan are already paying the price for the lack of attention early in 2020.

And considering what the future holds, they’re likely to pay for it again in 2021.