San Francisco 49ers: One Player They Need to Draft in First Round
The San Francisco 49ers have plenty of needs that they will look to fill this upcoming Thursday in the 2015 NFL Draft.
They have Colin Kaepernick signed well into the next generation of Santa Clara San Francisco football. However, fans have long yearned for a more presentable backup — sorry Blaine Gabbert.
With the loss of Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree and Mike Iupati on offense and some doubt about the quarterback, there are plenty of holes that could be filled with one of many talented prospects.
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On defense, they lost Patrick Willis, Chris Borland, Chris Culliver, and Perrish Cox. Needless to say, there are numerous needs on this side of the ball.
However, their biggest issue is in the secondary, where they were frequently burnt last season.
Enter the best cornerback in the Draft according to many reputable sources, such as Mel Kiper Jr., Trae Waynes out of Michigan State University.
Waynes, a six-foot tall, 186-pound Spartan of three years, is a decorated cornerback from the tough Big Ten conference.
Even as a freshman, he got into nine games, and went on to play in nearly every game the last two years for MSU. He was a critical part of the 2013 Rose Bowl and 2014 Cotton Bowl champion teams.
Waynes clocked a 4.31 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine, which was the fastest of the measured cornerbacks this year. In fact, out of all players invited to the combine, only wide receiver J.J. Nelson of UAB ran a faster 40 time in this year’s NFL Combine.
This is obviously fast, but plenty of other players ran fast 40 times. Being fast doesn’t automatically make a player a good pick, however, as history has proven.
What truly makes Waynes an incredible talent, and an all but assured first-round pick, is his deadly combination of speed and size. Being six-feet tall and nearly 200 pounds means he can play physically from the snap of the ball.
What truly makes Waynes an incredible talent is his deadly combination of speed and size.
Watching film on Waynes, he does just this. He is a lockdown corner, immediately clamping down on his receiver before they can even get off the line. He is masterful at jamming the receiver, a football term given to the action of impeding the receiver’s intended route to get open.
Waynes also excels at defending the deep ball, a specific Achilles heel of the 49ers in 2014. In 2014, the team gave up multiple 20+ yard passing touchdowns four times. That’s four games where the secondary got scorched for a long touchdown, more than once in the same game.
The biggest weakness in his game is also his biggest strength: being physical with receivers. This is both good and bad.
Obviously, coaches like a player who can handle a receiver at the line of scrimmage. However, in the extremely flag-happy, pro-offense NFL, defenders are extremely limited in their ability to be rough with the receiver, let alone come into any contact at all with them.
Waynes will have to remember to watch his hands and hold off on prolonged contact with NFL wide receivers, but that is a relatively simple fix. Talent-wise, he is good to go.
Waynes knows how to play tight man-to-man coverage in a pro-style defensive scheme, and performed well when put on an island in individual coverage, no matter who lined up across from him. You can coach play-style, but you can’t coach ability.
Between his superior speed and impressive size, Waynes truly has the potential to shine in the NFL, and the 49ers could definitely use someone like him in the defensive secondary.
If Waynes is still available at pick number 14, the 49ers would be foolish to pass on his incredible athleticism and talent.