San Francisco 49ers: Making the case for Trae Waynes

Most of the big names believe that the San Francisco 49ers are honing in on Arik Armstead. Without question, the defensive tackle from Oregon would be a solid pick halfway through the first round. However, there’s more need elsewhere on the defensive — the secondary — and out of a group of solid candidates, former Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes would be the best.

Why would the 49ers spend a valuable first round pick on Waynes? Well, it’s pretty simple. The cornerback is ranked as the top candidate at his position on many sites — one of the first was Mike Mayock of NFL.com back in early March. Walter Football mentions after Waynes interviewed with some NFL teams and was “the consensus top-rated corner.”

"Waynes should be selected in the top 20 of the first round. He is cover corner who is very good at preventing separation. Waynes can run with speed receivers while also having the size to defend big wideouts. It shouldn’t take long for Waynes to earn a starting job and become a solid defender."

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The biggest worry for the 49ers will be if Waynes is too hyped and goes off the board early. According to many latest mock drafts, the biggest hurdle will be the Minnesota Vikings at 11th. Peter King of Sports Illustrated recalled an impressive play that removed a lot of doubt on his build and is a perfect piece to attach in the Vikings secondary.

"In the 2013 Big Ten championship game, he made a physical stop of Ohio State’s Carlos Hyde (40 pounds heavier) for no gain. Mike Zimmer needs two good physical cover corners, and adding Waynes to Xavier Rhodes would give the Vikes two first-round young players at that position."

A few do have him lasting until the 15th pick. Shaun King of Yahoo Sports argues that Waynes will be the best available player on the board among needs that the 49ers need and notes a number of skills that fans will love to see.

"There’s a major hole at cornerback that Waynes fills perfectly. He brings length, athleticism and play-making ability to the table. We considered DE and MLB but the available players were rated lower than Waynes on our board."

Scouting reports say they were impressed with Waynes saying with his receiver assignments and the way he’s able to get his hands on the ball. His coordination is perfect when it comes to knowing where the ball is and when to reach out to deflect it or pick it off. He’s had a total of six interceptions and 13 pass breakups in a 36-game career.

Size is one of the bigger concerns for Waynes. Despite being smaller, he’s not afraid to use his strength — he’s much more powerful than his skinny frame would lead on. Where it does affect him is consistency and having to make a big play himself. If he’s found in the open field and needed to bring down an NFL running back or wide receiver charging down the field, it’s going to be tough for him.

Waynes doesn’t match the profile for a guy that Trent Baalke would look for because of that lack of size. However, the general manager should strongly consider him because of his skill set. This also doesn’t seem to be a long-term project, and that’s something the 49ers definitely need if they want to get back into title contention, let alone playoff contention, immediately.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: 5 Best Offseason Moves

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