NFL Draft 2019: San Francisco 49ers full mock draft
By Joe Romano
Round 2 – Pick 36
Amani Oruwariye, CB, Penn State
An area of concern for the San Francisco 49ers has been the defensive secondary. Richard Sherman returns for his second season with the team but he is an aging player that is on the books for one more season after next. They were smart to gamble on former Chargers corner Jason Verrett on a one year deal but his track record is shaky at best. When healthy that is a valuable addition, there is just no sign that he will be healthy. Akhello Witherspoon was a third round pick that needs to continue to grow for this secondary to be complete.
Bringing in Amaniy Oruwariye would be another exciting piece to the secondary. Oruwariye fits the mold for what the 49ers are looking for in their corners. Both Sherman and Witherspoon are big, long armed corners that can disrupt receivers at the line and run them up the boundary. Oruwariye is equally physical with great length. He will need to get better with his feet to be a true top-end corner in this league but he brings all the traits to the table.
In a shallow corner class, Oruwariye is in a heated battle with Michigan State’s Justin Layne, Houston Isaiah Johnson and Temple’s Rock Ya-Sin as being the second tier at the position. Atop round two seems like a sweet spot for these types of players with a run on the first tier happening in the latter part of the first round. On tape Oruwariye is the best of the bunch. He does not have the ball skills of Layne or the physicality of Ya-Sin but he blends all of those elements into a well-rounded corner capable of stepping in right away and playing for the 49ers.