San Francisco 49ers: Tarvarius Moore poised to fill Tyrann Mathieu role

Jimmie Ward has been talked up as somebody who could play every secondary spot for the 49ers, but Tarvarius Moore is a better bet for that role long term.

Versatility in the secondary has long been an asset prized by the San Francisco 49ers. Going into the 2018 season, they look to have two players capable of playing every position on the back end of the defense in Jimmie Ward and rookie Tarvarius Moore.

The 49ers were one of many teams to suffer at the hands of Tyrann Mathieu, whose ability to make an impact at safety, outside cornerback and slot cornerback saw him established as one of the best defensive players in the NFL during the Arizona Cardinals’ run to the NFC Championship Game in 2015.

With all the starting positions seemingly unavailable to him, there has been plenty of talk of Jimmie Ward potentially fulfilling a Mathieu-like role as a backup for the 49ers.

Having entered the league as a safety, Ward started as a nickel corner for the 49ers and has shifted between that role, outside corner and free safety in a career that has too often been interrupted by injury.

Yet the 49ers hope his lack of a settled position will benefit them, with head coach Kyle Shanahan recently saying of Ward, per The San Francisco Chronicle:

"“If Jimmie doesn’t earn a starting role, there’s also a good chance he’s the first backup at every single position: strong safety, free safety, nickel (corner), (outside) corner, because he’s capable of being a starter at all of those “"

Ward boasts the coverage ability and ball skills to excel at corner, as he did in a promising 2016 season in which he had 12 pass deflections.

However, in an NFL where bigger receivers and tight ends are being shifted to the slot on a regular basis, his lack of size is a problem. At 5-11 and 193 pounds, he is undersized for a box safety role and lacks the range to be relied upon consistently as a single-high free safety in a cover 3 scheme.

The physical limitations of Ward limit his upside, but the same cannot be said of Moore who, despite his lack of NFL experience, is a better candidate to serve as a defensive chess piece in a Mathieu-like role.

Moore boasts a magnificent blend of both size and speed at 6-1 and 199 pounds with a 4.32-second 40-yard dash under his belt from the Southern Miss pro day, his length helping him record 10 pass deflections and three interceptions in his final collegiate season.

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Set to be transitioned from safety to corner, Moore has the kind of athletic traits to make such a switch a success, particularly if he is given a shot at nickel corner, where his height-weight-speed combination should enable him to hold up against bigger receivers as well as smaller twitchier wideouts.

Not afraid to bring thump in the middle of the field, Moore could well be an extra backup to Jaquiski Tartt in the box strong safety role but his range and instincts are that of a player better suited to the free safety role that will likely be occupied by Adrian Colbert in 2018.

The play below from Southern Miss’ bowl game with Florida State is an excellent example of why he succeeded with the Golden Eagles.

Moore reads the quarterback’s eyes throughout, quickly diagnosing where he is going with the football and breaking to the outside to get in position ahead of the slot receiver who has angled his route off to the corner of the end zone, putting him in the perfect spot to make a play had the throw been accurate.

That same intelligence was on display again later in the same game as he almost forced an interception. Moore again does a great job of reading the quarterback’s eyes and occupies the throwing lane before leaping to tip the ball, which comes close to landing in the grasp of a teammate.

The speed that gives Moore the range to succeed as a free safety also enables Moore to attack downhill and close to the football quickly in the open field.

On the play below Moore again diagnoses extremely quickly and shows acceleration to match his instincts, racing into the backfield to bring down the receiver catching the screen pass for a loss.

That was one of three tackles for loss Moore had last season and, though he did not have a sack while at Southern Miss, his speed in getting downhill suggests he is the ideal player to be used off the edge as an extra pass rusher on blitzes.

This 49ers regime and the previous one have valued secondary players who can play multiple positions, but none have been as athletically gifted as Moore.

Athleticism can only take you so far and there will likely be a learning curve for Moore that means Ward may see the field more often in 2018.

But Ward is in the final year of his contract and in the long term, it is Moore who appears to have the physical skill set to fulfil a wider variety of roles.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: Candidates to lose playing time in 2018

Ward’s career has been a frustrating one and, in a contract year, the 49ers have drafted a player who could well end his hopes of establishing himself as a defensive chess piece who sees the field consistently.

If the Niners are looking to have their own version of Tyrann Mathieu on the defense, then it is Moore, not Ward, who is the better bet going forward.