5 cornerbacks 49ers can target on Day 2 of 2021 NFL Draft

49ers Cornerback Target No. 1: Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State

By moving up from its original No. 12 overall pick, San Francisco has all but passed up on top cornerbacks like Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley, Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II and South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn, who all project as first-round targets.

Yet perhaps the best Round 2 cornerback prospect, Florida State’s Asante Samuel Jr., is still very much in play.

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The son of former NFL top defensive back Asante Samuel, Samuel Jr. could potentially be an even better pro-level player. Like his father, Samuel doesn’t possess the biggest size, standing at only 5-foot-10 and 184 pounds.

Like K’Waun Williams, though, Samuel plays much bigger than his size indicates. He finished with 29 pass breakups over his three-year collegiate career, which also included three interceptions for the Seminoles last season.

And as far as movement skills, quick twitch and reaction abilities all go, Samuel checks off all the boxes.

It’s possible a team like the 49ers would experiment with Samuel at nickel, but both Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley have been used on the boundary despite being sub-6-foot tall.

Perhaps Samuel winds up being the next in line to serve in this undersized-yet-imposing role regardless.