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Post-free agency full NFL two-round mock: Redskins trade down

By Ian Cummings

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 28: Wide receiver Justin Jefferson #2 of the LSU Tigers reacts to a play during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 28: Wide receiver Justin Jefferson #2 of the LSU Tigers reacts to a play during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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ORLANDO, FL – SEPTEMBER 01: Xavier McKinney #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide in action during a game against the Louisville Cardinals at Camping World Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Alabama won 51-14. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL – SEPTEMBER 01: Xavier McKinney #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide in action during a game against the Louisville Cardinals at Camping World Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Alabama won 51-14. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

San Francisco 49ers. Xavier McKinney. 31. player. 42. . Defensive Back

The 49ers have a definite need to address in their secondary, but I’m not so sure they have to go the cornerback route at this juncture. Richard Sherman is still playing at a Pro Bowl level, Emmanuel Moseley showed potential in 2019, and Akhello Witherspoon, despite his late-season benching, is still an elite athlete with the length to compound his potential.

With Witherspoon entering a contract year and Sherman aging, of course, to disregard the cornerback position would be unadvisable, but in the first round, the 49ers might have the flexibility to boost their secondary in other ways — perhaps by picking the best defensive back available in Xavier McKinney.

McKinney, an Alabama product, brings a brand of versatility similar to that of his predecessor, Minkah Fitzpatrick. He can line up at safety and at slot cornerback, and while he’s not dominant in any one area, he has the athletic and mental profile to provide security wherever he goes, something the 49ers could have used in February.

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