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Bucky Brooks Projects the 49ers to Draft Michigan CB Will Johnson

Johnson probably would qualify as the best player available. Still. the secondary is the strongest unit in the 49ers' defense.
Grant Cohn|
Sep 14, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive back Will Johnson (2) pursues a play on defense against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive back Will Johnson (2) pursues a play on defense against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

It's probably fair to assume that Robert Saleh will have a big influence on the 49ers defensive draft picks this offseason.

The 49ers just made him the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL -- I'm guessing they gave him some say over his personnel as well. Which means he could make the pick if the 49ers take a defensive player in Round 1.

Bucky Brooks of The NFL Network expects the 49ers to go defense with their first pick -- he projects them to take Michigan cornerback Will Johnson.

"The return of Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator could prompt the 49ers to invest in a top cover corner to match up with the talented receivers within the division," writes Brooks.

Johnson is one of the few blue-chip prospects in this draft -- he seems like a sure-fire future Pro Bowler. In the past few seasons, Saleh has relied on high-profile cornerbacks -- Sauce Gardner, Jason Verrett and Richard Sherman to name a few. So it's possible he'll want to draft another one this year.

Johnson probably would qualify as the best player available. Still. the secondary is the strongest unit in the 49ers' defense. Their front seven is Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and a bunch of nobodies. They really need to address the trenches at some point. Maybe they'll sign a bunch of defensive linemen in free agency, but they tried that last year and got next to nothing from their veteran journeymen.

I expect the 49ers to draft defensive linemen this year.

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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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