Evaluating the defense
SF striving to rebuild CB credibility and a sturdy front line helps
The NFL draft is annually a way to gauge what a team thinks of its roster, and, in the case of the 49ers' defense, two areas of need were addressed.
First, the annual hunt for a defensive end led to their top pick, Drake Jackson from USC.
Next, the 49ers were compelled/ordered to add further to a cornerback corps that already imported Charvarius Ward in a high-priced free agency move.
“We were hurting at corner a large part of the year,” general manager John Lynch said in Saturday's draft recap. “To finish third in the league was a testament to DeMeco (Ryans, the defensive coordinator), his staff and to our players and we felt like we needed to add (cornerbacks). You can't have enough good ones.”
Third in the league at cornerback? No. The defense finished third in overall yards allowed, despite being so rattled by injuries and penalties at cornerback.
In the past week, the 49ers buoyed that unit by drafting two cornerbacks for the second straight year, and, on Monday, they re-signed Jason Verrett, one of their best starters when healthy. Verrett, whose career has been waylaid by leg injuries, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in last season's opener.
After Verrett signed a oneyear deal Monday for the fourth straight year, Lynch told KNBR: “He's a No. 1 corner for us. He's a guy you don't give up on . ... I wasn't sure he'd want to play again. We kept in touch. That desire to come back was there and it was burning hard. At that point, Kyle and I said it's definitely worth it. Our team loves him.”
Is this suddenly the deepest cornerback corps since Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan arrived in 2017? Well, Richard Sherman's arrival in 2018 gave that unit credibility, something that won't be fully recaptured until the 49ers cornerbacks and overall defense prove themselves come Sep
tember.
Here is who's on that defense as the 49ers' offseason program entered Phase 2 this week, with coaches joining players on the field.
DEFENSIVE LINE (16)
Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Samson Ebukam, Kerry Hyder Jr., Drake Jackson, Hassan Ridgeway, Jordan Willis, Charles Omenihu, Kevin Givens, Kemoko Turay, Chris Slayton, Alex Barnett, Kevin Atkins, Kalia Davis, Dee Ford
ANALYSIS >> Jackson joins a group that could rival its 2019 front, and he'll need to add an edge-rushing burst reminiscent of Dee Ford, who's expected to retire or get released this summer. Kinlaw's ACL comeback looks as encouraging as Bosa's last year. Then it's a veteran freefor-all on who else joins the deep rotation.
LINEBACKER (9)
Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair, Oren Burks, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Curtis Robinson, Jeremiah Gemmel, Marcelino McCrary-Ball, Segun Olubi
ANALYSIS >> Warner is entering his fifth season and doing so with a familiar cast, plus the free agency addition of Burks, one of the NFL's premier special teams players. Entering their respective contract year, does a healthy Greenlaw hold off AlShaair for the weak-side starting spot?
CORNERBACK (11)
Charvarius Ward, Jason Verrett, Emmanuel Moseley, Ambry Thomas, Dontae Johnson, Darqueze Dennard, Deommodore Lenoir, Samuel Womack, Tariq Castro-Fields, Ka'Dar Hollman, Qwuantrezz Knight
ANALYSIS >> Ward enters the starting lineup after departing the Kansas City Chiefs as this offseason's big-ticket item. Moseley likely will start opposite him all offseason and camp, unless Verrett's health proves ready, in which case Moseley could slide inside as the nickel back, a parttime role that Verrett could do, too. Thomas blossomed as a late-season starter as a rookie. Womack and Castro-Fields sound like feisty draft picks. Lenoir needs to bounce back from his rookie vanishing act. K'Waun Williams' vacated nickel back role will garner focus but so should the starting spot opposite Ward.
SAFETY (6)
Jimmie Ward, Talanoa Hufanga, George Odum, Tarvarius Ward, Tayler Hawkins, Leon O'Neal Jr. ANALYSIS >> After not drafting a safety, the 49ers could look to free agency for help, but they'll no longer find Tyrann Mathieu, who signed with the Saints on Monday. Jaquiski Tartt is unsigned and wants to amend for his dropped interception in the NFC Championship Game. Otherwise, the 49ers are banking on Hufanga to make a big step in Year 2, Moore to return strong from last year's Achilles tear, and Odum to surprise after a career-high seven starts with the 2021 Colts. O'Neal and Hawkins are undrafted rookies who have a roster shot.