San Francisco 49ers: 3 roster holes and how to fill them in the draft
Duke Dawson, CB
Thanks to a trade with the Chicago Bears, the 49ers posses two picks in the top ten of the third round. One of these picks should be used on cornerback out of the University of Florida, Duke Dawson. With the addition of Richard Sherman to play opposite Ahkello Witherspoon, the team has a solid outside cornerback duo, but still need someone to start at nickel corner. That is where Duke Dawson comes in.
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Dawson projects to be a very good nickel corner in the NFL, but only a nickel corner. This inability to play outside is why he will likely slip to at least the third round of the draft. While this hinders his overall value, it doesn’t affect his fit with the 49ers.
To select a player who is talented enough to produce first round production but will fall because he is only able to play one specific position, while that position is one that you need filled, makes complete sense. In fact, that is precisely the type of move that the best talent evaluators make.
While edge rusher may be a position that many think the team should select here, the presence of two early third round picks makes both the addition of an edge rusher and Dawson possible.