On Monday, Pro Football Focus ranked the San Francisco 49ers roster as the worst in the NFL. The team's cornerback group did much better in their latest ranking.
"We've considered every team's top three cornerbacks for our best projection of how each depth chart would likely line up if the season began today," explained Pro Football Focus.
The ranking identified Tramaine Brock, Dontae Johnson, and Jimmie Ward as the 49ers' top three cornerbacks. Ward has spent a good deal of time in practice at the starting cornerback position with many believing that the 2014 first-round selection may be a candidate to play opposite Brock once the season kicks off.
"Ward recorded 21 defensive stops in 2015, tied for 10th-most in the league," states Pro Football Focus.
The explanation for the ranking continued with the following.
The massive personnel turnover in San Francisco last offseason hit the defensive backfield, too, but their fresh crop of cornerbacks more than held their own as the rest of the team struggled around them. Tramaine Brock, Dontae Johnson, and Jimmie Ward all graded well, with Brock surrendering more than 75 yards only three times, while Ward added 21 stops from the slot.
The 49ers, already with a young group of cornerbacks, drafted three more this offseason. They were Will Redmond in the third round, Rashard Robinson in the fourth, and Prince Charles Iworah in the seventh.