4 weakest links on 49ers roster heading into 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley
Early indications are San Francisco’s two rookie cornerbacks, Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir, aren’t anywhere close to starting just yet, meaning the 49ers are going to bank on corners Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley to start on the boundary this season.
When healthy, and he was last year, Verrett can be one of the NFL’s top defensive backs. Yet Moseley has bounced back and forth from the starting lineup the last two seasons and has still to define himself as a true starting-caliber option.
This isn’t to say he’s a bad cornerback — he’s not. But considering Pro Football Focus gave him a lowly 54.6 pass-coverage grade last season, it’s safe to say he’s not necessarily someone the Niners want to make a centerpiece within their secondary over the next few seasons.
Otherwise, they probably wouldn’t have drafted two corners.
Moseley just turned 25 years old, however, so he still has plenty of room for growth and development, which is important considering he’s only started 17 regular-season games over his career.
That’s the equivalent of one full season today.
Until proven otherwise, Moseley is the weakest starting corner on San Francisco’s roster.