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The San Francisco 49ers are playing some pretty good football right now and have situated themselves nicely as the sixth seed in the NFC playoff picture. However, the winning has to continue, and that must begin with Thursday night's road game against the Tennessee Titans.
The 49ers could be an intriguing team heading into the playoffs. No one is really picking them to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but no one in the NFC is looking forward to facing them either. That's because they are heading into the postseason hot, winning five of their last six and six of their previous eight.
Peter Schrager of
Good Morning Football knows that head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad isn't perfect. Specifically, one position on defense could prove to be the team's Achilles heel.
"I don't know if they are going to be able to compete with these other big dogs, though, in the NFC if their
pass defense does not get better," Schrager said on Thursday morning. "Their pass rush is great. We know [Nick] Bosa and [Arik] Armstead are coming, and those guys are great. But I watch a lot of Niners football. They have a giant Achilles heel on this team, and it's the pass defense. It's the cornerback position.
"Josh Norman's on one side, and right now, it's this hodgepodge of
Ambry Thomas, the rookie out of Michigan, and it's Dontae Johnson if he's healthy and he's good to go, and they're getting torched week after week. [Bengals WR] Ja'Marr Chase put a show on a couple of weeks ago in a loss but was absolutely destroying No. 20, Thomas."
Schrager acknowledges that the 49ers can probably help Thomas—or whoever is playing opposite Norman—with some safety help but calls the position "an eyesore." Norman is playing because the Niners lost
Jason Verrett in Week 1. Thomas is playing because of an injury to Emmanuel Moseley. While Verrett is done for the season, Moseley, on injured reserve with an ankle injury, could return for the postseason. There is hope that the pass defense might improve for a playoff run.
Of course, that doesn't help during this home stretch.
"I've got to think that [Titans QB Ryan] Tannehill is going to try to exploit it tonight," Schrager continued. "This cornerback situation gives me hesitance as well because you're eventually going to have to go up against Aaron Rodgers,
Tom Brady,
Kyler Murray, Dak Prescott, and all those wide receivers that are stars for them."
Schrager added, "Ambry Thomas, if you are watching, step up tonight. Show us that there is no Achilles heel and that I can take the Niners defense seriously for the long haul because at some point, teams are going to start picking on them exclusively at that spot, and they're going to have quarterbacks capable of doing it."
The San Francisco 49ers have experienced success in the latter two days of the draft, discovering hidden gems capable of becoming key contributors. Some examples include tight end George Kittle in the fifth round in 2017, linebacker Fred Warner in the third round in 2018, wide receiver Deebo Samuel in the second round in 2019, and, famously, quarterback Brock Purdy with the final overall pick in 2022.
Pro Football Focus recently pinpointed one draft fit for each team on Day 2 and another for Day 3. Contributor Dalton Wasserman handled the duties for Day 2, zeroing in on former Oregon defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus, who can excel on the edge or interior in
With only nine days remaining until the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, Good Morning Football's Peter Schrager revealed his first mock draft of the year. While most might expect the San Francisco 49ers to target an offensive lineman, Schrager has the team bolstering its wide receiver corps with an SEC talent.
Schrager has the 49ers using the No. 31 overall pick to select former Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey, whose 2023 campaign with the Bulldogs was limited by back and ankle injuries.
"McConkey in the first round? Yes," Schrager wrote. "Above guys like Troy Franklin and Keon Coleman? Perhaps. I've spoken to a
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.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
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.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
