2021 NFL Draft: 49ers bulk up secondary in full Round 1 mock
By Peter Panacy
. Cornerback. San Francisco 49ers. Patrick Surtain II. 12. player. 42
2021 NFL Draft: 49ers select cornerback Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
San Francisco is in a tough spot if it wants to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo. Doing so would either involve a lucrative trade-up to get into those top selections shown earlier or a trade down to maximize some value for the second-tier quarterbacks available towards the latter half of Round 1.
Yet quarterback isn’t the true No. 1 need for John Lynch and Co.
Cornerbacks Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams, Jason Verrett, Ahkello Witherspoon and Dontae Johnson are all unrestricted free agents this offseason, and it’ll be nearly impossible for the 49ers to re-sign all of them. Even if they retain one or two, going after some younger options would be smart.
And as far as plug-and-play corners go, few check off all the boxes as much as Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II.
Surtain has already been discussed as a 49ers possibility if they go this route. He’s one of the best press-man corners in this year’s class, and one could easily see him replacing a player like Sherman as the top defensive back within San Francisco’s defense.