San Francisco 49ers: Judging the 2014 Draft

Round 1, Pick #30: Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois

Nov 20, 2013; Toledo, OH, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies safety Jimmie Ward (15) warms up before the game against the Toledo Rockets at Glass Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Like usual, the 49ers did the opposite of what everyone expected. Instead of trading up to pick one of the top cornerbacks in the draft, they stayed at the 30th pick and picked a safety. At first, this pick made a lot of people scratch their heads. Why were the 49ers picking a safety when they needed help at corner? Well, they answered their own question. While Ward is listed as a safety, the 49ers plan to use him as a nickel corner in their nickel package. Maybe sometime in the future they’ll move Ward back to free safety and rotate Eric Reid to strong safety, but as of now, it’s too early to tell. Ward excels at man coverage and is exactly what the 49ers needed. They got what they needed and didn’t even have to trade up to do it.

Need: A
Value: A