Getty Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers huddles with the offense against the Arizona Cardinals during the third quarter at State Farm Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona.
There’s no question that the San Francisco 49ers have some things to fix after the 2021 season, most notably in the secondary and on the offensive line.
Most fans will probably point out that the Niners’ defense had a “weak link” at the corner spot this season, as the team had to do some patchwork from week to week with the likes of Josh Norman, Dontae Johnson and rookie Ambry Thomas all getting chances as Emmanuel Moseley battled injury.
However, the Niners found something late in the year with Thomas. They know what Moseley is: a solid, but not a great corner that works as the second or third corner on the depth chart. Thomas faced a trial by fire but ended up putting together a handful of really impressive performances as the season progressed.
NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter released a three-round mock this past week, and his picks for the Niners’ first two selections (No. 61 and No. 93) are certainly interesting. This is primarily because he has San Francisco taking two corners to start the draft, Penn State CB Tariq Castro-Fields and Houston CB Marcus Jones.
The issue here isn’t taking a corner, but taking two. Sure, the 49ers were just a couple plays away from playing in the Super Bowl, but taking two of the same position when the team doesn’t have a first-round pick feels wasteful, especially considering that the 49ers have to address the interior offensive line.
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49ers Offensive Line
The primary reasons the Niners need to address the offensive line is two-fold: Laken Tomlinson and Daniel Brunskill.
Tomlinson is set to be a free agent, and deserves a sizable contract after the 2021 season. With just $2.95 million in current cap space for 2022 per Spotrac, San Francisco may have to let Tomlinson walk due to the need to pay stars like wide receiver Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa.
As for Brunskill, Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn probably described his ability best: “There’s right guard Daniel Brunskill, who shouldn’t be a starter. He’s high-level backup.”
Sure, the team can improve in free agency, but that tight cap space and looming extensions means the draft will be a better value now and later. Plus, you have a promising talent available in UCLA’s Sean Rhyan that the Niners can take in the second, if the draft shakes out like Reuter’s mock.
Rhyan started 31 games in three years at UCLA, meaning he has tons of experience but is also still young as a three-year player. He may not be a perfect replacement for Brunskill, but the Niners would rather invest in a young talent like that and take the lumps that come with it rather than the mistakes that come with Brunskill.
Thomas Rises with 49ers
Turning back to the 49ers corners, Thomas had a pretty rough start as a rookie. In his first 20 targets, he allowed 17 completions for 261 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 130.4 per PFR.
However, he turned it around in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans and never looked back. From that game onward and through the playoffs, allowing 17 completions on 30 targets, but only giving up 10.8 yards per completion, and and giving up just one touchdown.
There’s no question that Thomas still has room to improve, but his trajectory has to be encouraging for the Niners, and should deter them from feeling like they need to draft two corners to open their 2022 NFL draft.