SF 49ers NFL Draft: 5 cornerbacks who would fit well in 2021
By Seth Steere
SF 49ers Option Nos. 3 and 4
Derion Kendrick, Clemson
Clemson cornerback Derion Kendrick has something in common with Richard Sherman, as Kendrick was formerly a receiver before making the transition to cornerback in college. Having been a receiver in his past, Kendrick has a knack for playing the ball in the air and coming down with interceptions that other corners don’t have a shot at.
Kendrick is another long corner who fits the mold San Francisco likes at that spot. He doesn’t quite have the height — 6-foot-0 — but he does have the length in his arms that allows him to disrupt receivers’ releases off the line.
Before the season started this year, opinions on Kendrick were mixed. Some had him pegged as a potential first-rounder and others had him falling to the bottom of their top 100. However after his performance this season, opinions have changed and he’s looking like a lock for the top 50.
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2018 | Clemson | ACC | FR | WR | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| *2019 | Clemson | ACC | SO | CB | 13 | 30 | 13 | 43 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 52 | 26.0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | Clemson | ACC | JR | CB | 7 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Career | Clemson | 40 | 18 | 58 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 52 | 17.3 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 12/15/2020.
Eric Stokes, Georgia
Eric Stokes is another guy who had a mixed bag of reviews. Stokes is an excellent athlete, one of the best at his position and that alone makes him an intriguing prospect, but then you add on his ability to stay in-phase with receivers in man-coverage and you have yourself a potential lock-down corner.
The keyword being potential; Stokes still has some consistency issues to work-out, but he has looked impressive this season playing for one of the better defenses in college football. Stokes has been able to show-off his ball-skills this season snagging his first career interception this season and adding another 3 on top of it.
If Stokes can continue to have a positive play to finish the season and lights up the combine as expected, he’s another guy the Niners should be eyeing somewhere on Day-2 of the draft.
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2018 | Georgia | SEC | FR | DB | 9 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *2019 | Georgia | SEC | SO | DB | 13 | 30 | 8 | 38 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2020 | Georgia | SEC | JR | DB | 9 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 94 | 23.5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | Georgia | 60 | 18 | 78 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 4 | 94 | 23.5 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 1 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 12/17/2020.
Paulson Adebo, Stanford
Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo did not play this season because he decided to opt out due to COVID-19. Nonetheless, Adebo is still a talented prospect whom the SF 49ers may be able to snag later than he should go, due to other players rising up draft boards, and without playing this season there as still some unanswered questions to Adebo’s game.
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2018 | Stanford | Pac-12 | SO | CB | 13 | 46 | 18 | 64 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 45 | 11.3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2019 | Stanford | Pac-12 | JR | CB | 9 | 23 | 10 | 33 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 4 | 1.0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | Stanford | Pac-12 | SR | CB | |||||||||||||||
| Career | Stanford | 69 | 28 | 97 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 8 | 49 | 6.1 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 12/17/2020.
For example, why did he have such a down year last season compared to his sophomore year? Heading into his junior season, Adebo appeared to be a lock for the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but after some struggles (especially against wide receiver Gabe Davis and UCF) Adebo elected to play another season with Stanford (before COVID-19 came around) to try and raise his stock back up.
Next. Ranking 49ers' top 5 needs in the 2021 NFL Draft. dark
Now, it’s unclear exactly where Adebo will fall in the draft, but he’s a player with a ton of upside, and if he’s there in round three the SF 49ers should do all they can to get him if they haven’t found another option already.