49ers 7-round mock NFL Draft after trading Jimmy Garoppolo
By Peter Panacy
Roadrunners . Tariq Woolen. 52. player. 2410. . Cornerback
Round 2, Pick No. 52 Overall (from Steelers): CB Tariq Woolen, UTSA
The 49ers may have received some modest improvement at cornerback as the regular season drew on, particularly with 2021 rookie corner Ambry Thomas getting noticeably better with each passing game after a rough start.
The Niners’ initial prognosis for their boundary play in 2022 would appear to be Thomas and Emmanuel Moseley, yet there’s still room for improvement and the need to potentially replace their starting nickel cornerback, K’Waun Williams, who’ll be an older free agent this offseason anyway.
Simply put, San Francisco can’t avoid passing on cornerbacks early in the draft as it has in previous seasons.
At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, UTSA cornerback Tariq Woolen has that rare blend of size, speed and physicality to make for an enticing prospect. The former wide receiver, one who converted to cornerback in 2020, might be a bit raw and will need some refinement. Yet he already showcased some of that transitional ability over the last two years.
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| 2017 | UTSA | CUSA | FR | WR | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2018 | UTSA | CUSA | FR | WR | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | UTSA | CUSA | SO | WR | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *2020 | UTSA | CUSA | JR | CB | 9 | 21 | 14 | 35 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| *2021 | UTSA | CUSA | SR | CB | 9 | 17 | 8 | 25 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | UTSA | 39 | 24 | 63 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 2/1/2022.
There’s still a good chance Thomas doesn’t pan out, and Moseley seems to be on the fringe of being a good corner but someone who can always be upgraded.
Regardless, focusing on the best cornerback available with the pick the 49ers received from the Steelers for Jimmy Garoppolo is a solid plan.