The San Francisco 49ers didn't stay at No. 27 overall in the NFL Draft, but that hasn't dissipated the clouds and smoke around their potential target.
With the Niners due to be on the clock again in just under 24 hours, most of the questions around their potential pick remain the same. Will they fortify their receiver room, with someone like Denzel Boston? Will they find Trent Williams' heir, or draft a starting left guard?
In truth, no one sticks out as a definitive option, and it's one of many reasons why we might see another trade down, as Niner Noise's draft expert, Jeremy Wohlfart, suggested.
The biggest beneficiary, though, might be the newest man in San Francisco's building: new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. By hook or by crook, the 49ers have been left with a smorgasbord of options to add to their defensive unit, and he'd likely be pleased with any of them.
Let's take a look at the five best options.
Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy
I'm a little shocked to be putting Jermod McCoy on this list, primarily because I thought he'd go at the very least in the mid-first round.
An instinctual athlete with excellent ball skills, McCoy projects as an almost-immediate starter next to Deommodore Lenoir in the defensive backfield, at a spot the 49ers would surely like to upgrade. They have recently added some corner depth in Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs, but their lack of faith in Renardo Green, while odd, suggests change might be afoot here.
It's likely McCoy's injury history (an ACL tear in particular) is giving some teams pause, but there must come a point where his obvious skills outweigh the value. It may not be the case at the 49ers' first second-rounder, No. 33, but perhaps it will at No. 58.
Adding a corner with this much ceiling on his potential would be a massive boon to Morris as he reshapes the defensive scheme.
Toledo S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
Some had Emmanuel McNeil-Warren as the top safety in the draft, ahead of the Chicago Bears' pick of Dillon Thieneman (a player I was devastated to miss out on), and it's not hard to see why.
Warren is something of an athletic freak who flies around the field and to the ball, particularly in run support, and he'd certainly be a crowd-pleaser. In some ways, he reminds me a little of Talanoa Hufanga, whom the 49ers got some decent juice out of after choosing him in the fifth round in 2021.
Like Hufanga, McNeil-Warren doesn't have the coverage skills I'd personally enjoy, but perhaps Morris can unlock Warren's potential as a disruptive safety. He certainly wouldn't mind putting him in the safety room next to the unproven Marques Sigle, as well as incumbents, Malik Mustapha and Ji'Ayir Brown.
Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell
It used to be quite easy to project edges when Robert Saleh had his hands on San Francisco's defensive scheme: long-limbed, big-body types, with particular emphasis on those who could move inside where necessary.
Howell fits none of these, so likely would've been straight off the board under the old regime. However, with Morris commanding the defense, the 49ers might be wise to take a second look at Howell.
Athletic, "bendy" and full of pass-rush moves, Howell can be disruptive in base packages from the off, and might actually be an ideal fit for Morris' vaunted "fifth rusher'' position, something the Niners absolutely do not have on the roster.
Howell is weak in run defense and would likely need some polishing from defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, but as a versatile, athletic lump of clay -- likely won't need to start on base downs, something most people seem to be forgetting -- Howell could represent excellent Day 2 value and possibly be a poor man's Aldon Smith.
Tennessee CB Colton Hood
The other Tennessee corner, there's a ton to like about Colton Hood, not least his nastiness in press-man coverage.
Another good athlete with plenty of ceiling to develop, Hood could be a Lenoir-lite on the other side of the defensive backfield, and with coaching from the likes of Jerry Gray and Matt Eberflus, could have an excellent ceiling. In many ways, Hood reminds me of the many bruising corners the Seattle Seahawks used to roll out onto the field during the Legion of Boom era: a nasty attitude, disruptive hands, and solid against the run.
Hood is raw and needs to develop his ball skills, but he'd be exciting to see in the Red and Gold, and he certainly clears the likes of Darrell Luter Jr. in terms of raw talent.
The fact that the Niners wouldn't need him to play right away, having added Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones, likely helps him, too.
LSU S A.J. Haulcy
Probably my personal favourite (and thus, I hope, Morris' too), A.J. Haulcy represents everything I like in a safety: good ball skills, good against the run, covers a lot of ground, and generates the odd big play. I genuinely think the 49ers have lacked this on a consistent basis since the days of Donte Whitner, Dashon Goldson and Jimmie Ward, and you might have read elsewhere on this site that I think adding a coverage safety would immediately upgrade this defense.
I suspect Morris agrees, too. He's coached the likes of Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts in the past, clearly valuing the ability of a good coverage safety and a versatile piece. While I think he'll love current nickel back Upton Stout in a similar way, adding Haulcy immediately upgrades one of the poorest positions on the roster and opens up the possibility of finding someone who can finally ignite a turnover-starved defense.
Oh, also, he carries the nickname, "Mr. Give Me That." How could you not want that on your team?
Will we see any of these players come to the Bay on Friday? We'll soon find out.
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