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There was some debate and a whole lot of speculation on who should start opposite cornerback Richard Sherman when the San Francisco 49ers host the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said he had a good idea who that would be but
didn't want to tip his hand too early while speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
A day later, Ahkello Witherspoon ended that speculation.
The third-year cornerback informed reporters after Wednesday's practice that he, not Emmanuel Moseley, will start at cornerback opposites Sherman when the 49ers take the field this weekend.
Witherspoon started during the 49ers' Week 17 contest against the Seattle Seahawks but was replaced by Moseley late in the game. Moseley helped the defense preserve the 26-21 victory Seattle and earn San Francisco the NFC West title.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was asked on Wednesday about the benching of Witherspoon in favor of Moseley during that Week 17 game.
"I'll keep that one in-house, if you don't mind," Saleh responded. "I'm sorry about that one, but I'll just leave that one alone."
While Saleh didn't want to explain the reasoning behind sitting Witherspoon, he doesn't believe the cornerback played poorly against the Seahawks.
"I'll be honest," Saleh told reporters. "When you look at it on the surface level, it's very easy to see — there's Ahkello; there's a guy catching the football. But people don't really understand what happened for that to happen. They don't understand whether or not somebody busted, and he may have been making up for somebody, and shouldn't have been there in the first place.
"Ahkello, actually, when you go back and look at the tape, played a pretty good football game. There's a couple of situations where he got caught in a bad situation. Either way, his ability to just put those to bed, and compete his tail off will always define whether or not he can finish and play games at his best.
"To say he played a poor game against Seattle — I'll be honest with all of you — would be inaccurate."
His coach may have defended him, but Witherspoon wasn't too pleased with his performance against the Seahawks.
"I think I played average, and I'm not an average player," Witherspoon told reporters on Wednesday. "So that's a poor game for me. (It was) just little things that just don't need to happen."
Saleh didn't want to expand on why he was replaced in the game, but Witherspoon explained that it was because Seattle was targeting his side of the field and staying away from Sherman.
"That's what I signed up for," Witherspoon added.
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San Francisco selected Adams out of Penn State in the second round (No. 57 overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.
The NFL's full announcement is below.
In the NFL's continuous effort to connect the game's greats with the next generation of stars, NFL Legends and active players will add to the excitement of the 2024 NFL Draft by announcing various selections and participating in festivities in Detroit.
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The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
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The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
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Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
