SF 49ers 3-round mock NFL Draft with Round 1 trade-down

Round 2, Pick No. 43 Overall: SF 49ers select CB Eric Stokes, Georgia

San Francisco is going to have a lot of cornerback needs this offseason, particularly with pending free agents like Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon, Jason Verrett and Dontae Johnson poised to hit the open market. Even if the SF 49ers retained one or two of those names, it would be prudent for them to grab at least one promising corner early in the draft.

Heck, a first-round selection wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility, too.

But in this mock, the Niners wait until their Round 2 selection to reinforce their secondary with one of the more promising up-and-coming cornerbacks, Georgia’s Eric Stokes.

At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Stokes is a little lean but has demonstrated some big-play ability with four interceptions for the Bulldogs last season and two defensive touchdowns.

Stokes doesn’t have elite-level speed, and it’ll be tough for him to match up with bigger, faster receivers in man coverage. While it’s uncertain whether or not San Francisco retains a predominantly zone-based defense under newly minted coordinator DeMeco Ryans in 2021, there’s little reason to assume anything different.

If Stokes is put into a zone-style system, it should allow him to produce at a much more significant level within the pro ranks, making him a solid fit for the SF 49ers defense.