The 49ers possessing the second-overall pick in the NFL draft this week has led to analysis focusing on players atop the board.
But there remains a chance San Francisco trades back to the middle of the first round, garnering a package of multiple early-round selections and perhaps a first-rounder in the 2018 draft, which is expected to be stronger at quarterback.
It’s a difficult year to pick second. The draft slot doesn’t have the same value as in other drafts because there are no sure-fire franchise quarterbacks, nor is there a clear No. 2 prospect behind pass rusher Myles Garrett who’s the favorite to go first overall.
While players like Solomon Thomas, Malik Hooker, Jamal Adams, Reuben Foster, Leonard Fournette and others all make sense for San Francisco at two, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan might squeeze more value out of the pick by trading for multiple assets. They are in year one of a massive rebuilding effort, after all.
Let’s take a look at some under-the-radar candidates San Francisco might be considering if they move back…
Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
(Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)
The 49ers could use a cornerback to tailored to their aggressive, physical scheme. Humphrey has the speed, athleticism and tenacity to become an integral piece of the secondary, forming a long-term duo at cornerback with fellow SEC alum Rashard Robinson.
Humphrey started all 29 games for the Tide over the last two seasons, proving he was comfortable in press and zone coverages, making him a good fit for San Francisco’s Cover-3 heavy scheme that requires jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage.
Standing 6-foot, 197 pounds with 32 1/4-inch arms, Humphrey ran an impressive 4.41 at the scouting combine, which would make him one of the fastest players on the 49ers’ roster. He won the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles at the youth track championships in 2013.
If Lynch decides there’s not enough of a difference in value between Humphrey and Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore, likely the first cornerback taken, trading back toward the middle of Round 1 for the Alabama alum would make plenty of sense.
