Jason Verrett-CB-TCU

At the start of the season, I never expected Verrett to be around for the 49ers but his range seems to be mid to late 1st round right now. As well as Dennard and Gilbert have played, I think Verrett has been somewhat overlooked. I'd take any of the former two but would also love to see Verrett in a 49ers uniform. He doesn't have the ideal size you want but is an absolute playmaker and a true ballhawk. He's consistently shut down some of the better receivers in college football and excels at playing the ball while it is in the air, leading to a multitude of pass deflections as well as interceptions. He's a tremendous athlete with the speed to match receivers deep down field. He needs to improve as a tackler and sometimes struggles to haul in interceptions. He gets plenty of interceptions as it is but it could be truly ridiculous with some better focus on securing the ball.

He's also a local guy, from Fairfield, played his first 2 years in college at Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring over to TCU.

After thinking that Baalke favors bigger CBs more, I don't really think that's true anymore. After seeing how Brown and Brock perform with the defense, I think Verrett would fit right in.

And on a side note, Perrish Cox has played rather well, I hope the 9ers keep/re-sign him.

Originally posted by Kolohe:
After thinking that Baalke favors bigger CBs more, I don't really think that's true anymore. After seeing how Brown and Brock perform with the defense, I think Verrett would fit right in.

And on a side note, Perrish Cox has played rather well, I hope the 9ers keep/re-sign him.

Brown for Verrett would be an equal swap in terms of height, however Brown in college was never a ballhawk the way Verrett has been, he's got an excellent combination of technique, as well as the athletic ability to allow him to recover quickly in case he gets beat.

Pros-Hes a 4.4 guy with tremendous explosion. In the Baylor and TT he blitzes as a NB and shuts down a couple of plays in the back field. He can play multiple techniques effortlessly. 8 yards off, 5 off, 3 off, inside leverage, outside leverage. The key being he reads the WR instinctually no matter what coverage he's in. His footwork is so good that he can spy the QB while manning a WR who is making multiple moves. When he is beat to a side he has the explosion to recover and he even made a couple of PDs out of poor foverage.

Cons-His size is obviously an issue when it comes to run support. He didn't press once in any of snaps I watched. His physical presence in general against large WRs is questionable. I wonder whether he can be a parameter CB or is he just a lockdown slotback.

Verdict-I would love him on the squad. Hes the type of guy that can become a lockdown defendeR. He remind me of Brock except better footwork and speed. But I think with Rogers and Brown possibly leaving we're losing are 2 best run defenders. We cant ignore this and I would prefer a more physical corner that can also bring the press. Im not saying Verrett cant be that but drafting those traits is smarter. We may need it if Brock, Cully, Cox, and Wright can't hold it down on the parameter which I am skeptical. So not the 1st DB chosen but mos def the 2nd.

Originally posted by eonblue:

Pros-Hes a 4.4 guy with tremendous explosion. In the Baylor and TT he blitzes as a NB and shuts down a couple of plays in the back field. He can play multiple techniques effortlessly. 8 yards off, 5 off, 3 off, inside leverage, outside leverage. The key being he reads the WR instinctually no matter what coverage he's in. His footwork is so good that he can spy the QB while manning a WR who is making multiple moves. When he is beat to a side he has the explosion to recover and he even made a couple of PDs out of poor foverage.

Cons-His size is obviously an issue when it comes to run support. He didn't press once in any of snaps I watched. His physical presence in general against large WRs is questionable. I wonder whether he can be a parameter CB or is he just a lockdown slotback.

Verdict-I would love him on the squad. Hes the type of guy that can become a lockdown defendeR. He remind me of Brock except better footwork and speed. But I think with Rogers and Brown possibly leaving we're losing are 2 best run defenders. We cant ignore this and I would prefer a more physical corner that can also bring the press. Im not saying Verrett cant be that but drafting those traits is smarter. We may need it if Brock, Cully, Cox, and Wright can't hold it down on the parameter which I am skeptical. So not the 1st DB chosen but mos def the 2nd.

I like your read on him. I agree.

I think his off man coverage skills are better than gilberts and on par with Dennard. I made a mock just a few days ago and put him as our first pick. I think he is a decent tackler better than Culliver as far as what I see. In his game vs michigan state last year he was able to tackle leveon bell (steelers rb) and if bell did run him over 3 times I believe he held on to his ankle to slow him down til help comes. Bell is no lynch so I can see verrett getting in trouble in the pros. But TCU Defense ain't the 49ers D and help will come quicker. My favorite part about verrett is his discipline. He does his j

I'd be fine with Dennard, Gilbert or Verrett. I'd like to use our 1st on one of those guys and then use our 2nd on the best WR available. The other 2nd on the best SS available. Now since the Chiefs and 9ers pick aren't too far apart we could switch that and make it 1.CB 2.SS 2.WR. I think our CB depth next year will look something like 1.Brock 2.Culliver 3.1st Rd vs Cox or Wright (probably Cox) 4.Loser of that battle. 5.3rd-5th Rd 6.Morris (if we keep 6). Won't be as good as this year's depth (depending on how draft picks do) but we can't afford Brown and Rogers I doubt takes a pay cut. Combine that with possibly a rookie SS.. so yeah our secondary which has been top 5 or so these past few years won't be as good but I think we can improve in other areas like WR, RB (adding Lattimore) and pass rush (Carradine, draft pick?) so it will some what even out.

As for Verrett not worried about his size. His height is good 5'10" maybe 5'11" which is what Brock and Brown are. Now weight I see 176-180 and Brock is pretty thick at 197, Culliver at 199 as well and Brown lighter at 194. Wouldn't be too hard to have Verrett gain 5-10 pounds of bulk/muscle and get him playing at 185-190. So he might be lighter than our normal CB's but I think he's too good to just pass up because he is a little light. Like I said probably could have him bulk up 5-10 pounds and still keep almost all his speed. And besides we could use someone with a little more speed covering our slot guys. We have a bunch of thick run stoppers and maybe our lightest guy Brown should be covering quick slot guys but is on the outside. We could use Verrett to be that slot guy with Brock and Culliver on the outside.

I'm actually hoping we take Verrett. In today's NFL ball skills are more important than ever and he truly plays the ball. However I also think the Niners prefer larger CBs still and I don't know that they'd be willing to pull the trigger on him in the 1st.

Either way I'm hoping for a CB in the 1st and a WR/S with our 2nds.

I agree with everything eonblue said. One of the reasons the 49ers defense is so good is their corners are willing to make physical tackles. Verrett doesn't look like a physical guy in those videos which will have to change for him to see playing time with the 49ers. His man coverage ability is awesome but he is missing the little things that are the difference between a good and great player. If he shows he can be a physical player at the NFL level, he's going to be one of the best man to man corners in the league.

Originally posted by DVDA:
I agree with everything eonblue said. One of the reasons the 49ers defense is so good is their corners are willing to make physical tackles. Verrett doesn't look like a physical guy in those videos which will have to change for him to see playing time with the 49ers. His man coverage ability is awesome but he is missing the little things that are the difference between a good and great player. If he shows he can be a physical player at the NFL level, he's going to be one of the best man to man corners in the league.

I think the whole size thing is really overrated. Alterraun Verner, one of the top CB's in the NFL this season is 5'10" and around 185 pounds, so not a huge difference. Brandon Boykin of the Eagles is another guy who was very good, the best part of a weak secondary, a ballhawk and a playmaker and he's about the same size as Verner. I think especially when it comes to playing the slot, Verrett could be very good in this secondary, he has the speed, quickness and tenacity to match up with smaller, faster receivers all across the league.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

I think the whole size thing is really overrated. Alterraun Verner, one of the top CB's in the NFL this season is 5'10" and around 185 pounds, so not a huge difference. Brandon Boykin of the Eagles is another guy who was very good, the best part of a weak secondary, a ballhawk and a playmaker and he's about the same size as Verner. I think especially when it comes to playing the slot, Verrett could be very good in this secondary, he has the speed, quickness and tenacity to match up with smaller, faster receivers all across the league.

I agree but I never rated him based on size. I think he would be a dominant slotback. I wouldn't invest a 1st on subpackage guy. Verret is 175 and has a slight frame. Yet again Im not basing anything on his size but it certainly doesn't make me feel any more confidant. Neither does the lack of press man snaps. He also got boxed out a couple of times in the vids you posted. Like I said I would love to see Verrett on the team but he's not boundary corner in Fangios system and with Rogers and Brown most likely leaving thats what we need.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by DVDA:
I agree with everything eonblue said. One of the reasons the 49ers defense is so good is their corners are willing to make physical tackles. Verrett doesn't look like a physical guy in those videos which will have to change for him to see playing time with the 49ers. His man coverage ability is awesome but he is missing the little things that are the difference between a good and great player. If he shows he can be a physical player at the NFL level, he's going to be one of the best man to man corners in the league.

I think the whole size thing is really overrated. Alterraun Verner, one of the top CB's in the NFL this season is 5'10" and around 185 pounds, so not a huge difference. Brandon Boykin of the Eagles is another guy who was very good, the best part of a weak secondary, a ballhawk and a playmaker and he's about the same size as Verner. I think especially when it comes to playing the slot, Verrett could be very good in this secondary, he has the speed, quickness and tenacity to match up with smaller, faster receivers all across the league.

I didn't say anything about his size. I don't care how big a guy is as long as he plays physical. He is not a physical tackler which is a must as an NFL defensive back. When I say that, I'm saying he avoids contact and tries to arm tackle too much. That's fine when it works but those guys whiff on a lot of tackles which really hurts a teams overall run defense. Harbaugh and Fangio are going to play a guy like Perrish Cox over a cover corner any day of the week. Carlos Rogers wasn't the most physical corner when he first came to the 49ers but he has definitely improved in that regard. Verrett would have to do the same thing if he wants to be more than a situational slot corner. Like eonblue said, I don't know if a situational player is worth a first round pick.

Originally posted by eonblue:
Like I said I would love to see Verrett on the team but he's not boundary corner in Fangios system and with Rogers and Brown most likely leaving thats what we need.

Brock and Culliver are pretty thick, physical and should be our outside guy next year. I think we need a slot guy anyways. Someone quicker who can keep up with the small fast slot guys. Not sure why Rogers is playing that roll this year I think Brown is our quickest guy and should have moved into the slot when we had 3 CBs out there. Rogers then moves to the outside. Anyways, I guess you could make a case that since Culliver is only signed through next year he could leave and we could be drafting for our future #2 (brock #1 likely) after he leaves. In that case maybe we want a bigger guy but if we are looking for a slot guy then Verrett will do fine. As for using a 1st on a slot guy in todays nfl with as much as you put a #3 out there it's not a big deal. Maybe back in the day when it was smash mouth football and only 2 wrs out there you wouldnt spend a 1st on a #3 qb but things have changed. I'd be interested in seeing how much we played 3 or more cb's this year. Would be appreciated if anyone can find that stat. Anyways, we haven't taken a CB in the 1st since 2002 with Rumph and I think we are about due. Patton could be our #3 of the future and I'd be fine with taking someone in the 2nd and competing him for the #3 role. Now if Boldin isn't back I would totally agree we need to take 2 wr's, 1 in the 1st and 1 in the 2nd or 3rd.

Originally posted by Gore_21:
Brock and Culliver are pretty thick, physical and should be our outside guy next year. I think we need a slot guy anyways. Someone quicker who can keep up with the small fast slot guys. Not sure why Rogers is playing that roll this year I think Brown is our quickest guy and should have moved into the slot when we had 3 CBs out there. Rogers then moves to the outside. Anyways, I guess you could make a case that since Culliver is only signed through next year he could leave and we could be drafting for our future #2 (brock #1 likely) after he leaves. In that case maybe we want a bigger guy but if we are looking for a slot guy then Verrett will do fine. As for using a 1st on a slot guy in todays nfl with as much as you put a #3 out there it's not a big deal. Maybe back in the day when it was smash mouth football and only 2 wrs out there you wouldnt spend a 1st on a #3 qb but things have changed. I'd be interested in seeing how much we played 3 or more cb's this year. Would be appreciated if anyone can find that stat. Anyways, we haven't taken a CB in the 1st since 2002 with Rumph and I think we are about due. Patton could be our #3 of the future and I'd be fine with taking someone in the 2nd and competing him for the #3 role. Now if Boldin isn't back I would totally agree we need to take 2 wr's, 1 in the 1st and 1 in the 2nd or 3rd.

Or he could be the #2 WR of the future, or the #1 WR of the future, I always think its funny when people put a cap on a young player's ability before he's really gotten a chance to play. If Boldin leaves, I expect Patton to move into the #2 role, something I think he is well suited for and then draft someone to be the #3 WR, hopefully someone with some deep speed to stretch a defense out or insane catching ability ala....a Landry or Abbrederis. I expect them to draft a wide receiver high either way, if Boldin walks, then perhaps another WR in the 4th or 5th round for depth purposes. I also expect them to hold on to Osgood given his special teams performance this year, so even if Boldin walks, that second rookie wouldn't be seeing the field very much in this offense. There's also the outside chance that Manningham comes back or they bring someone like Josh Morgan in on the cheap.....another Baalke bargain bin dumpster diving special that none of us saw coming...ala Skuta perhaps?


1-Crabtree
2-Patton
3-Rookie
4-Rookie
5-Osgood



Going back to Verrett, when you have terrific talent, you take terrific talent, a guy like that you'll always find a way for him to contribute out on the field. If Verrett was a few inches taller and 10 pounds heavier we'd be talking about a guy who is a lock to be a Top 10 pick. His cover skills are outstanding, he's rarely out of position and when he is, he has the athleticism to make up for his error in a hurry. There aren't many defensive backs that you can generally say that about. The other thing I like about Verrett is that he's far from a finished product.

He went from Santa Rosa JC to TCU, he struggled early on with TCU, got beat a lot, he learned from his mistakes, improved, got even better this season and I expect that improvement to continue. It says to me that this guy has work ethic and dedication. There's always a place like that for a guy on an NFL roster. For 2014 I'd expect him to take over the nickelback role that Rogers has had which makes him a de facto starter on Fangio's defense. I think the upgrade in speed and coverage ability on smaller, quicker type receivers would be a huge upgrade for this defense. The Tavon Austion's, Golden Tate's, Wes Welker's...etc, you could match him up with them all the time.



There's also nothing that says that they can't take a second cornerback later on to develop. In every mock draft I've done, I've added two cornerbacks, figuring that both Brown and Rogers would be gone. Normally I've gone with a bigger cornerback such as Dennard or Gilbert first, followed by a smaller, slot type cornerback such as Ricardo Allen later on, but Verrett would be a tremendous selection and would allow them to pick someone later in the draft. someone more conventional to simply develop long-term.


Keith McGill is a BIG CB that I like a lot that needs some quality coaching but has all the tools to be a very good NFL CB, he could definitely be had later on to develop in case like you said, Culliver walks. Andre Hal of Vanderbilt, Lavelle Westbrooks of Georgia Southern, all guys who could be had a lot later as well.


*Also keep an eye on Jaylen Watkins out of Florida, he'll be at the Senior Bowl. He moved to free safety this season and dropped off the radar but for the NFL, he's still most likely to be a CB. He's got a solid build, great athleticism, a good tackler, very hard-working player who I expect to move up the boards a bit in the offseason.

Phoenix, I mentioned many times Patton was one of my favorite players in the draft so I'm not putting a cap on him. I just think Boldin is back for 1-2 years and until then he is our likely #2 and Patton 3. I like Patton but until Boldin leaves (and as long as Crabtree is here) he doesn't have much shot at the #2. So I said #3 of the future I should have said until Boldin leaves but if he would after this year then yeah Patton could end up our #2 guy.

Side note: I agree, with guys like Patton there is always a place for them on a team like ours. Landry and Abbrederis are other guys who remind me of Patton. Maybe not exactly on the field but the attitude/that fight/toughness, etc.