Will the 49ers Regret not Drafting a Cornerback?
Entering the 2020 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers had a few positions they needed to address. One of those positions was cornerback.
Four of the 49ers top corners are on the last year of their deals, which will see them become free agents in 2021. This is an issue the 49ers could have softened by taking a cornerback in the draft.
However, that moment never came.
The 49ers elected to forgo addressing the position. San Francisco is playing with fire a bit here. Richard Sherman, Emmanuel Moseley, K'Waun Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon will not all be back with the team in 2021. So taking at least one corner would have given them some security.
With the dust now settled: will the 49ers regret not drafting a cornerback?
Perhaps to a certain extent. Ultimately, the 49ers should feel great about their draft. Yes, they could have gone with a cornerback at some point. Maybe instead of taking offensive lineman Colton McKivitz they could have gone with cornerback Bryce Hall at No. 153.
But the reality is that addressing every position of need in the draft is a fantasy. San Francisco's need at interior offensive line was much more pressing than cornerback right now.
So what about their other picks at 190 and 217? Sure, they could have grabbed one there. But at that point, the cornerback talent wasn't worth the pick, so the 49ers went with who they deemed was capable of making the team right now.
Would a cornerback at pick 190 or pick 217 have made the roster? Highly unlikely. The 49ers failed to address the cornerback position this offseason, but that just means in 2021 they must place a heavy emphasis on it.
