One team to seriously keep an eye on next season is the San Francisco 49ers, who continue to build something special with this roster. General manager John Lynch has proven to be a solid hire, and he made a huge deal at the deadline for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Once inserted into the starting lineup, Jimmy G won all five of his starts, leading a 1-10 49ers team to a 6-10 finish.
While they finally have their star quarterback in place, the team does need to add some depth in the defensive backfield. This offseason, the team made a move to get Richard Sherman from the Seattle Seahawks, and he is going to add incredible experience to the unit. Sitting at No. 9 overall, the 49ers could bring the best cornerback in this draft class into the fold, and that player is Denzel Ward.
Some scouts have Ward going as high as six, but there is a good chance he will be available at No. 9. The bottom line is he is an elite cornerback, and is someone you can put on an island and not have to worry about half of the field. This 49ers team could win the NFC West next season, and with a solid signal-caller under center, they just may have the same kind of season the Los Angeles Rams did in that same division in 2017.