Pro Football Focus released its first 2020 mock draft on Monday, and the analytics site has the San Francisco 49ers gaining some cornerback help next year. The mock is more to show who analyst Michael Renner believes will be first-round quality talent during the upcoming college season.
The draft order for the mock is based on Las Vegas win-total odds, which places the 49ers at the No. 15 spot in the first round. PFF has San Francisco selecting Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall with the selection.
Renner writes the following about the decision to send Hall to the 49ers:
"Hall looks tailor-made to play cornerback for a press cover-3 team in the NFL. Length and ball skills are the two traits that have made Richard Sherman arguably the best cornerback in the league over the past decade, and Hall has an impressive combination of both himself."
Ahkello Witherspoon, a third-round selection in 2017, is expected to be the starting cornerback opposite Sherman this year. The 49ers signed Jason Verrett to a one-year deal in March, and he was slated to compete for a starting role, but the sixth-year corner suffered an ankle injury during practice last week and is expected to miss the entire preseason.
"Fortunately for Jason, he's played football," head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Verrett last week. "Everyone studied him coming out of college. Everyone knows the ability that he has. It's one (injury) that we can be more patient with.
"We know the football player he is. We've seen the guy since he's been here. He's as good of a guy and as good of a competitor that I've been around. We've got ultimate trust in him."
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