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Why So Many Mock Drafts Predict 49ers to Take Cornerback in Round 1

Technically, the 49ers need everything. Some needs are simply more pressing than others.

Grant Cohn

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Michigan defensive back Will Johnson celebrates a touchdown after intercepting USC quarterback Miller Moss during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Michigan defensive back Will Johnson celebrates a touchdown after intercepting USC quarterback Miller Moss during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Technically, the 49ers need everything. Some needs are simply more pressing than others.

That's why it's odd to see so many mock drafts project the 49ers to take a cornerback with the 11th pick in the upcoming draft. Sure, they lost Charvarius Ward this offseason, but they still have Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green, two quality starters.

They still could use a third cornerback when they go to their nickel defense, but they signed veteran Tre Brown.

And yet, former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum projects the 49ers to take Michigan's Will Johnson with the 11th pick.

"A lot of holes here -- the offensive tackle, receiver and cornerback groups could all use a look," writes Tannenbaum. "But the Niners allowed 25.6 points per game last season (29th), and they didn't really replace the lost talent on that side of the ball in free agency. That includes Charvarius Ward's spot at outside cornerback.

"Johnson could be a day one starter there. At 6-2 and 194 pounds, he has ideal size and physicality at the position. I see great instincts when I watch him play ball, too. I know he missed time in 2024 with his foot injury, but he has nine career interceptions and all the traits to be a frontline corner in the pros.

"Landing Johnson would be a good start to the draft for San Francisco, which has 11 picks over three days.

This would be a luxury pick because the 49ers don't need a Day 1 starting cornerback. They need two Day 1 starting defensive tackles and a Day 1 starting defensive end. They added zero free agents at those positions this offseason.

It's not hard to figure out that the 49ers plan to spend their first pick on a defensive lineman.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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