49ers roster: Predicting 2021 cornerback depth chart

Predicting 49ers cornerback depth chart for 2021

Let’s go ahead and make some still-too-early predictions for how San Francisco’s cornerback depth chart pans out come Week 1 this season, mixing in returning players, free-agent additions and rookie NFL Draft picks.

49ers Week 1 cornerback depth chart

• Patrick Surtain II*
• Emmanuel Moseley
• K’Waun Williams (nickel)
• Quinton Dunbar
• Eric Stokes*
• Tim Harris

The assumption here, of course, would be the 49ers using their top pick in the NFL Draft on Surtain, which would be perfectly fine. Then a third-round addition (or potentially a Round 4 pick) used on Stokes out of Georgia.

San Francisco 49ers

Dunbar would be the veteran addition on the cheap, essentially filling the void left by free-agent departures like Dontae Johnson and Ahkello Witherspoon.

Harris, meanwhile, would finally get his chance to make an impact.

This depth chart would also assume the Niners go with Williams over Jason Verrett, which does make some sense. The Niners were fortunate with Verrett’s injury history not drastically impacting his 2020 campaign, but that might not be a risk the team elects to take this year. Besides, nickel corners tend to cost much less than boundary ones, so going with Williams over Verrett makes financial sense, too.

And in a pinch, San Francisco can still insert Moseley or even safety Jimmie Ward at nickel if Williams ends up being hurt.

49ers practice-squad corners

Just because…

• Mark Fields II
• Ken Webster

It’s still not yet known how the league will formulate practice squads this season, particularly if they’re anything like the 2020 COVID-19 type of B-units, which included veteran players who otherwise wouldn’t have been eligible in previous years.

Either way, expect the 49ers to put at least two corners on the practice squad to kick off 2021.