NFL
49ers Backed to Target Cornerback Late in First Round as Secondary Concerns Mount
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San Francisco 49ers Training Camp by Thearon W. Henderson | Getty Images
The 49ers defense suffered greatly last season and the inability to generate anything approximating a below-average pass rush was at the heart of their failures.
The defensive line is nowhere near the level of the units that helped carry the team to multiple Super Bowl appearances and it remains a significant area of concern for the franchise.
However, they are hopefully of what top pass rusher Nick Bosa can accomplish when he returns from season-ending surgery, and they have high hopes for edge rusher Mykel Williams, their top pick in the 2025 draft.
Their biggest issue could be at defensive tackle, but this is a bad draft to have to chase that position and it’s especially under scrutiny when it comes to first-round prospects. All of which could lead to them going in a different direction.
What About The Secondary?
The 49ers also have to wonder about their secondary and specifically if they have sufficient depth and quality at cornerback.
And, historically, teams tend to take a shot on defensive back after defensive back in the back end of the first round, when San Francisco is once again picking (as is the norm for them). The depth chart at that position leaves much to be desired in terms of adding another immediate starter and also addressing more quality depth.
The defense badly needs more playmakers, and while head coach Kyle Shanahan has proven he can overcome so-so offensive line play with his scheme and play calling, and he can turn good players into high-impact performers in the pass game, they are now in a division with arguably the two best teams in the NFL (Rams and Seahawks) and both have precision offenses that can shred lackluster secondaries.
The markets aren’t favoring San Francisco going with a defensive back, but evaluators I have asked about the 49ers wouldn’t be nearly as shocked by such a move.
"Hell yeah they need a corner or two," said one longtime NFL evaluator whose team is picking in the same relative area as the 49ers.
Teams will continue to spread the 49ers out, especially if the pass rush doesn’t get back close to where it was, and put tremendous pressure on the offense to score at a high rate.
Nickel has become the base look in the NFL, and matching-up is critical.
The 49ers at +550 to take a corner, given how that position is being evaluated and where those prospects may fall between picks 24-32 might be worth a sprinkle.
La Canfora has covered over 20 Super Bowls and League Meetings and NFL drafts, building a wide network of sources throughout all aspects of the game. He was an award winning print journalist as well, working at The Detroit Free Press and The Baltimore Sun prior to his first stint at The Washington Post. He has covered sporting events around the world, including two Winter Olympics and all of the 2006 World Cup. He attended his first NFL game in 1978, and would soon kindle what has become a lifelong love and appreciation of the sport. La Canfora is also a professional handicapper, specializing in the NFL, creating a daily sports wagering game show - "Wanna Bet?" He also hosts nationally broadcast NFL radio shows in the US, as well as a daily sports radio show in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.