Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers
49ers’ Jason Verrett named the most underrated free-agent cornerback by ESPN, PFF
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Barring any development in the next week or so, the San Francisco 49ers seem content with allowing cornerback
Jason Verrett to test free agency. The team is unlikely to finalize any big deals until the final salary-cap number is known and isn't likely to be a significant player at the onset of free agency. Instead, it will likely wait for the dust from the initial frenzy to settle and take a more prudent approach.
Verrett is among several 49ers defensive backs slated for the open market. Richard Sherman, K'Waun Williams, Jaquiski Tartt, and Ahkello Witherspoon will join him. Verrett, though, is the cornerback who Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus feels could be a good value for any interested team.
Those who are interested might have to overlook his injury-plagued history. Verrett has landed on injured reserve in five of his seven NFL seasons but was finally healthy last year.
"Verrett played 803 snaps last season, having played just 67 in total over the previous three seasons and 1,270 in his entire career heading into the year,"
wrote Monson in a special feature for ESPN. "He had an excellent season, allowing only 8.9 yards per catch and one touchdown all season, earning a 76.1 PFF coverage grade in the process. Verrett posted a coverage grade of 90.9 the last time he was healthy for a full season."
The 29-year-old cornerback finished last season with 60 tackles, two tackles for a loss, two interceptions, and seven passes defensed through 13 games, proving himself to be one of San Francisco's best defenders. Last season's performance did a lot to increase Verrett's value, but that doesn't mean interested teams won't be cautious about signing the oft-injured defender.
"While he didn't quite get back to those (2015) highs last year, he did look impressive given the extent of his injury layoff," added Monson. "That history will likely still scare teams, but he is a high-quality starter if he lasts through the season."
Player representatives can begin negotiating with other teams in one week, with free agency set to kick off two days later, on Wednesday, March 17.
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
PFF high on this cornerback for 49ers in mock draft
Analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic grades former Iowa State cornerback T.J. Tampa as a second or third-round draft pick and ranks him 55th overall on his big board. Pro Football Focus, however, holds a higher opinion of the young defensive back. In his latest mock draft, the site's lead analyst, Sam Monson, has the San Francisco 49ers selecting Tampa with the No. 31 overall pick.
"T.J. Tampa fits the prototype of a 49ers cornerback," Monson explains. "He has had consecutive seasons of very impressive play and allowed just 240 yards on 49 targets last season. The team doesn't necessarily need him to make an immediate impact, but they could
ESPN analyst: I 'dominated' mock draft for 49ers
Matt Miller, a longtime San Francisco 49ers fan and ESPN analyst, recently conducted a mock draft using ESPN Analytics' mock draft simulator. Proud of his projections, Miller shared the results on social media.
Basically DOMINATED this mock draft for the 49ers.https://t.co/j7ag09VRAY pic.twitter.com/COOE0M1eku— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April
Where the 49ers landed in PFF's latest power ranking
While it would be foolish to declare that the San Francisco 49ers lack any deficiencies, the team remains one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. That alone is enough to place them high on media power rankings.
The truth is, power rankings mean very little at this stage in the offseason. Yes, free agency has come and gone, but NFL rosters are about to undergo further changes this week, with the 2024 NFL Draft slated for Thursday.
Pro Football Focus' Amelia Probst posted a power ranking based on the analytics site's data on each roster and the offseason roster moves made so far. The San Francisco 49ers came in at No. 2, behind only the Kansas City
Brandon Aiyuk's agent denies report of Steelers 'aggressively pursuing' the 49ers receiver
On Wednesday, Chat Sports contributor Chase Senior reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers were "aggressively pursuing" San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. He further stated that the Steelers are confident they can finalize a deal for the star player.
REPORTS: The Pittsburgh Steelers are aggressively pursuing a Brandon Aiyuk trade and the Steelers would be "surprised" if they don't land Aiyuk. Of note: Pittsburgh has the 20th overall pick. The Niners could look at that as equal value for Aiyuk if they can't get a deal done.…
