Mel Kiper had the San Francisco 49ers selecting cornerback Patrick Surtain II of Alabama in his first mock draft for ESPN. It sounds like Pro Football Focus is on the same page, as that is the player who analyst Ben Linsey has for head coach Kyle Shanahan's defense.
Linsey has quarterback Trevor Lawrence of Clemson going No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as most mock drafts do. There is a little action at the No. 2 spot with the Houston Texans projected to trade quarterback Deshaun Watson to the New York Jets for the selection (and probably more). The Texans go on to select Zach Wilson of BYU.
Justin Fields of Ohio State and Trey Lance of North Dakota State are also off the board by the time the 49ers select at No. 12 overall, setting up the team to bolster its secondary.
"From a technical standpoint, there isn't a better cornerback in the draft class than Surtain," wrote Linsey, "and that technique led to a strong resume after three years as a starter at Alabama. Surtain allowed a passer rating of 68.7 on 156 throws into his coverage across those three seasons, all while earning a 92.9 coverage grade."
The 49ers are slated to lose several cornerbacks to free agency and could use a young stud to pair with whomever the team decides to bring back or sign in free agency for DeMeco Ryans' defense. Surtain is the son of All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain Sr., a three-time Pro Bowl selection during his 11 seasons between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
"A quick look through the cornerbacks on PFF's free agency rankings page quickly tells you that there is a lot of uncertainty at the position for San Francisco," Linsey continues, "with Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett and K'Waun Williams all hitting free agency. Adding Surtain through the draft gives the 49ers flexibility in the case that some of those guys don't return."
Surtain racked up 116 tackles, six tackles for a loss, four interceptions, a touchdown, 24 passes defensed, and four forced fumbles during his three seasons with the Crimson Tide. He was a 2020 Consensus All-American and named the 2020 SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
