If the 49ers opt to solve their woes in the secondary with a late-round draft pickup, Nevada's Kitan Crawford is the ideal target.
While the offensive and defensive lines seem to be the San Francisco 49ers' biggest areas of need in the 2025 NFL Draft, it's not hard to see why general manager John Lynch and Co. should spend some resources to address the secondary.
After all, this group is particularly thin, especially after losing defensive backs Charvarius Ward, Talanoa Hufanga and Isaac Yiadom to free agency.
As things stand now, the Niners are poised to start Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green at cornerback, while a trio of Malik Mustapha, George Odum and Ji'Ayir Brown are the top contenders for the two starting safety jobs.
It's far from ideal. And even if San Francisco likes the incumbents, it'll need to acquire some versatile depth pieces to mesh into the fray.
Enter Nevada defensive back Kitan Crawford.
Kitan Crawford is the perfect NFL Draft sleeper for 49ers
Widely seen as a late day-three draft prospect despite an impressive performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, the 5-foot-11 and 202-pound Crawford is an ideal target to help continue the 49ers' trend of landing quality rookies between Rounds 4 through 7.
Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski described Crawford by writing:
"The 5'11", 202-pound defender developed into an all-around play-maker after transferring to Nevada and joining the Wolfpack's secondary. He can cover the slot or play either safety spot. He's going to trigger and close on the ball very quickly, as his testing indicates. Though his ball skills could definitely improve, with only one interception during his collegiate career.
Crawford needed a change of scenery to realize his potential. But many didn't see his performance until he forced them to go back and look, thanks to a stellar workout."
Related story: 49ers address biggest needs in this 7-round defense-only mock draft
With four years at Texas before his post-transfer 2024 campaign at Nevada, Crawford checks off a newfound Niners box of boasting plenty of collegiate experience, boasting two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, to go along with seven pass breakups after joining the Wolfpack.
What makes the fifth-year senior more intriguing, though, is his versatility. Crawford can occupy both safety spots and can also play over the slot, giving coordinator Robert Saleh a bit of a chess piece to maximize the impact of his better-known defensive backs like Lenoir and Mustapha.
Plus, in light of San Francisco's injury woes last season, it's never a bad idea to have a backup who can plug voids at a variety of spots.
If Crawford is still awaiting a call toward the latter stages of the draft, and the 49ers are on the clock, don't be surprised if he ends up being the selection.
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