SF 49ers: Blueprint to a successful 2021 season
By Robert Smith
No. 2: SF 49ers Must Draft Secondary and Offensive Linemen
This is long overdue in my opinion. The greatest criticism I have of John Lynch was not drafting cornerbacks in last year’s NFL Draft.
Even with limited draft capital, it was imperative to draft players for the SF49ers secondary last April. With Richard Sherman’s age and recent injury history, as well as the fact that aside from safety Jimmie Ward, the entire secondary is set to hit some form of free agency after this season, passing on secondary help seemed short-sighted.
With that said, it’s time to right the ship. An early look at the 2021 NFL Draft indicates that there are a handful of potential game-changing cornerbacks declaring.
Should the Niners continue to struggle with their remaining games, they could end up with a mid-first-round pick. It would put them in a position to select one of a talented group of defensive backs, including South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn, Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II, Paulson Adebo from Stanford, Ohio State’s Shaun Wade, or Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley to name a few.
They could also look to shore up their offensive line, which has struggled this season with injuries and inconsistent play. Centers Weston Richburg and Ben Garland both ended up on IR and are not expected to return until after Week 11. And as stated earlier, Trent Williams may very well depart at season’s end in free agency, which all but insures that the team will look for offensive line help in the draft.
Among the possibilities are Georgia center Trey Hill, Alabama’s Landon Dickerson, and Boston College center Alec Lindstrom. Tackles that the team may look at include Oregon’s Penei Sewell, Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood, or Jalen Mayfield from Michigan.
Whichever direction the 49ers choose to go in the draft, these two positions should see multiple draft choices selected to replenish and build upon for 2021 and beyond.