The 49ers will more than likely trade out of the No. 31 pick in April’s NFL draft. They have no picks in Rounds 2, 3 and 4 – all rounds general manager John Lynch and the front office have done well in over the last couple drafts.
San Francisco sticks with their first-round pick in the latest Draft Wire mock draft though, and they opt to find cornerback help out of the SEC with Florida cornerback CJ Henderson.
Henderson was a full-time starter for two years for the Gators, but started five games as a freshman as well. His experience comes with the typical physical profile the 49ers covet from their perimeter corners at 6-foot-1, 202 pounds.
While he didn’t record an interception in his junior season, Henderson still pulled down six INTs in his career to go along with 93 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and 20 pass breakups. He set a career high with 11 PBUs a season ago.
It’ll be interesting to see how the 49ers fill their needs early in this year’s draft. Cornerback could certainly be a need if they’ve given up on Ahkello Witherspoon and don’t foresee Emmanuel Moseley being a full-time starter moving forward. Richard Sherman was stellar this season, but he turns 32 in March and is entering the final year of his deal.
If the 49ers do want to prioritize the cornerback position early in the draft, Henderson will be a name to keep a close eye on considering his productivity and physical profile. Getting a big, physical corner to learn under Sherman for a year before possibly taking over that spot will be necessary for the 49ers’ pass defense to remain dominant over the next few seasons.