Pro Football Focus has odd choice for 49ers' top need following NFL free agency

The 2025 NFL draft is approaching in a hurry and this year's draft is paramount for the 49ers.

With limited financial wiggle room and some important extensions coming up with quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle, San Francisco really hasn't made any big splashes in NFL free agency.

Instead, the 49ers have watched talented vets find new homes elsewhere as San Francisco president of football operations and general manager John Lynch has worked to get younger.

Lynch and San Francisco insist they have a plan on how to address their remaining holes. That offseason recalibration features 11 selections in the 2025 NFL draft.

Given its relative lack of movement in free agency, San Francisco really needs to hit some home runs in the draft. While the 49ers have multiple needs, Pro Football Focus identified the team's biggest need following free agency.

PFF's Max Chadwick chose cornerback as the 49ers' biggest position of need after free agency.

Charvarius Ward’s free-agent deal with the Colts left a large hole in the 49ers‘ cornerback room. Former second-round pick Renardo Green had a very encouraging rookie season and Deommodore Lenoir is a solid nickel cornerback, but San Francisco doesn’t have many answers at the other outside cornerback spot. The newly signed Tre Brown is currently the team's best option, although he has earned sub-65.0 PFF overall grades in reserve duty across his career.
Michigan's Will Johnson would fit perfectly into defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s defense at No. 11 overall. - Max Chadwick, Pro Football Focus.

San Francisco could certainly use a bonafide lockdown cornerback if the option presents itself in the draft. Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter won't be available at No. 11, but several of ESPN's other projected top cornerbacks might be.

That includes the aforementioned Will Johnson from Michigan. Texas' Jahdae Barron could also be an option if the 49ers like him. Kentucky's Maxwell Hairston and Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison round out ESPN's top five best available cornerbacks.

Thanks to a compensatory pick, San Francisco owns four top-100 selections where it can address cornerback or other big needs like its pass rush, its interior defensive line or its offensive line.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Pro Football Focus reveals 49ers' top need following NFL free agency

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