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Five incumbent 49ers put on notice by newest NFL draft class

John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan Saturday wrapped up their first NFL draft as the 49ers new general manager and head coach tandem. It was a significant step toward rebranding and rebuilding San Francisco’s downtrodden roster.

The 49ers drafted 10 new players after six trades and landed two additional picks in the 2018 draft. Lynch’s debut consisted of four offensive and six defensive prospects at nine different positions.

With a solid draft for the rookie general manager at first blush, Lynch and Shanahan put some incumbent starters on notice. They admitted as much afterwards.

“We took over a 2-14 team and we need to get better in every aspect and we’re going to try to in every aspect,” Shanahan said, after he confirmed the team was trying to trade tight end Vance McDonald.

Let’s take a look at current 49ers that may need to compete for their roster spots come training camp…

Dontae Johnson, CB

San Francisco 49ers v Chicago Bears

(Jonathan Daniel-Getty Images)

The 49ers in the third round selected Colorado cornerback Akhello Witherspoon with the 66th pick in the draft. At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Witherspoon is the long, physical press corner the team was coveting after making their switch to a 4-3 defense reminiscent of the Seahawks. He’ll compete directly with Dontae Johnson for the starting role as Johnson enters a contract year.

Johnson (6-2, 195) shares a similar mold and has seen sporadic field time since being drafted in 2014. It seemed like he may have finally gained some traction after lining up with the first team during the offseason program, but Witherspoon’s selection could push him back to backup duties, at least. Keith Reaser, a fellow 2014 draftee, could also feel some heat.

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