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The San Francisco 49ers didn't address the cornerback position until their very last selection in the 2019 NFL Draft when the team selected Tim Harris of Virginia in Round 6. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan feel confident in the defensive backs currently on the roster.
Shanahan told reporters on Saturday that they looked at the draft and felt it would be difficult to find a player who could come in a beat out Richard Sherman or others like
Jason Verrett and Ahkello Witherspoon. The same goes for safeties Jimmy Ward and Jaquiski Tartt, said the head coach.
"Tim Harris, very talented football player," Lynch said. "We felt very good about him. You just can't have enough good corners. So providing competition, athleticism, and he is a profile fit. We aren't married to that profile, but he certainly has that profile at 6-2, 200, and a kid who can run at 4.43, I believe."
Verrett has spent much of his career on injured reserve. The 49ers feel he can be one of the top cornerbacks in the league when healthy. Lynch and Shanahan believe Verrett can upgrade the position if he can stay on the field.
"I would also say, at the corner position, we went out there and got Jason Verrett, and history says he's been banged up but we took a flyer on that because, when healthy, he's one heck of a football player," Lynch said. "So we did that."
Harris dealt with several injuries during his collegiate career, which resulted in him playing six seasons at Virginia.
"I think he had a year where he had a medical redshirt," Lynch said. "He took care of that. As we looked at it, there was a shoulder injury. I think there was a broken arm, and so some upper extremity. But, at some point, you have to trust your medical staff that we're comfortable with where he's at, and we were comfortable with where he's at, and where we were at in the draft.
"Tim is another guy we brought in here (
on a pre-draft visit), got comfortable with the person, loved the talent, and we jumped at it."
The 49ers also have one of the best in the game, veteran Richard Sherman, as a starting cornerback. He was signed before the start of free agency last year and spent much of the offseason recovering from an Achilles injury suffered while with the Seattle Seahawks.
Sherman played in 2018 and did an excellent job covering his side of the field, albeit doing so while dealing with a hamstring injury.
"I'm told that Richard Sherman was at no better than 80% last year, and he only got there after significant improvement in early November, right around when the Niners played the Giants," Albert Breer of The MMQB
reported on April 1.
Breer went on to report that Sherman underwent surgery to have sutures, which were in place as part of his rehab process, removed from his heel after the season. The cornerback has felt much better since the procedure.
"Yeah, I look out my window, and he's getting up there in years, but he's right at the front of the pack," Lynch said. "He's pushing those guys. I think my own feeling, we'll see a better version of Richard Sherman this year because he's a year further away from those procedures and had that cleanup. We'll see, but I'm hopeful."
We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room.
We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are
Rumors have swirled regarding the situation between the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is entering his fifth NFL season and is slated to earn $14.124 million on a team-executed fifth-year option. Despite the 49ers publicly declaring a desire to sign Aiyuk to a contract extension, keeping him on the roster for the foreseeable future, many rumors have focused on potential trade interest.
On Monday, general manager John Lynch held his annual pre-draft press conference, addressing the Aiyuk situation without revealing any information on the conversations that have taken place behind closed doors. Once again, he emphasized that the 49ers want Aiyuk to remain with the team for the remainder of his career.
When asked if there was a chance Aiyuk
The decision to trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft and select quarterback Trey Lance could have had significant consequences for general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. With the team lacking first-round picks in the last two drafts due to this move, and Lance no longer on the roster after being traded to the Dallas Cowboys before last season, it's clear the gamble didn't unfold as expected.
Lynch held his annual pre-draft press conference on Monday, reflecting on the decision to take such a big chance on Lance. While such a bold move might have jeopardized jobs elsewhere, Lynch and Shanahan were blessed with some good fortune in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Acknowledging the support of the team's ownership, Lynch stated, "They believe in Kyle and I, and our
As customary, NFL teams engage in preliminary discussions about potential draft trades during owner meetings. The San Francisco 49ers currently hold the No. 31 spot in the first round but appear receptive to moving either up or down. The 2024 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night.
General manager John Lynch addressed reporters on Monday and acknowledged the wide range of possibilities. However, he noted that any potential discussions about trading spots with other teams will likely intensify later in the week.
"It's going to be an interesting year," Lynch stated. "I think it's an interesting draft class. I was just looking at my notes and one interesting thing to me, dynamic, and the way of the world right now, we put a grade on players in the fall if we think
