San Francisco 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was asked about that 3rd-and-15 play in February against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, and the scrutiny that followed. Fans still might have a hard time watching replays of Tyreek Hill come down with a deep pass from Patrick Mahomes, helping the trailing Chiefs mount a comeback victory.
"I just learn from it, move on, and just focus on this year," Moseley, who was in coverage on the play, said on Monday.
Aside from a poor Super Bowl outing, Richard Sherman played well last season and has one cornerback spot locked down on 49ers defense. Across the field, things don't look as clear. Moseley is expected to be the starting cornerback opposite the veteran All-Pro. However, Jason Verrett was getting a good amount of work with the first-team defense over the weekend, and Moseley still has to fend off Ahkello Witherspoon.
"Not much has been said about [the competition]," Moseley told reporters. "We're just out there on the field, getting better every day, and the coach is going to choose the best player."
Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus has identified the No. 2 cornerback spot as the 49ers' Achilles heel heading into the 2020 season.
"Moseley had his first starting experience last year, so there is reason to be optimistic, as he was solid overall," wrote Monson. "He was beaten for an 80.2 passer rating, which was better than average and surpassed Witherspoon by a healthy margin. And while Moseley had ups and downs, his PFF grade was solid in every facet we measure over the full season."
Witherspoon is now two seasons separated from his best Pro Football Focus grade of 74.5, which came during his rookie 2017 campaign. Monson notes that he has given up 15 touchdowns in three seasons, and quarterbacks own a passer rating of 103.7 against him. That average is elevated by the 117.1 passer rating opposing quarterbacks owned against Witherspoon last season.
As for Verrett, San Francisco gambled again and re-signed the injury-plagued cornerback to another one-year deal this offseason.
"Verrett has a career 88.1 coverage grade, and his last fully healthy season was over 90.0," wrote Monson. "But that was in 2015, and he has played just four snaps over the past two years. Verrett has elite talent, but he represents little more than a low-risk option that has a tiny chance to pay off big at this point."
