49ers Predicted to Land Prospect With ‘Great Ball Skills’

“Cornerback will likely be one of John Lynch’s top priorities this offseason, as the team is a little thin at the position,” Bleacher Report staff wrote.

San Francisco has quality starting cornerbacks in Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir followed by backups Isaiah Oliver and Ambry Thomas. Third-string corners Darrell Luter Jr. and Samuel Womack III haven’t produced big this year, and adding depth couldn’t hurt.

“Abrams-Draine could be a good draft target, as he holds a third-round grade on B/R’s big board and has the versatility to line up at multiple spots,” Bleacher Report staff added.

A three-year starter with the Tigers, Abrams-Draine has seven interceptions, 131 tackles, and 39 pass deflections in his career. He helped the Tigers produce the program’s best season since 2014 with a 10-2 record in 2023 and a Cotton Bowl appearance around the corner.

“Versatile cornerback who can play out of the slot and out wide,” B/R defensive backs scout Cory Giddings said via Bleacher Report staff. “He likes to play out of press a lot, where he can be handsy at times but looks to control receivers at the line of scrimmage.”

“He also has great ball skills to locate and play ball in the air in addition to good hands to capitalize on turnovers,” Giddings added.

Kris Abrams-Draine Has Some Downsides

Abrams-Draine notably began his college career as a wide receiver at Mizzou in 2020, but he moved over to cornerback before the 2021 season. He doesn’t have great height at 5-foot-11, and additional questions that Giddings raised could also concern the 49ers.

“Abrams-Draine can have trouble sinking hips and changing direction at times,” Giddings wrote. “He’s also light in the pants, which may cause trouble tackling at the next level, where he often wrestles bigger ball carriers down.”

“Strength is a question as well, where he has shown to be bumped off at the top of routes,” Giddings added.

Niners Would Add Speed With Kris Abrams-Draine

Abrams-Draine’s speed will likely catch the Niners’ attention as well as the other 31 teams in the pre-draft process. He runs a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, which is in the upper 78% according to NFL Draft Buzz.

“I mean, he can run fast,” Athlon Sports’ Kyle Crabbs wrote. “Abrams-Draine has great straight-line athleticism, and effective short-area bust. He’s [a] plus athlete with ample explosiveness and, as always, that’s going to get you a boost in your pre-draft evaluation when you have to play in space.”

“The ability to go zero-to-60 is a selling point that could have him either playing from depth or trusting him, technique pending, on playing without help at times on the outside,” Crabbs added.