The San Francisco 49ers' secondary is arguably the deepest it has been under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.
In Charvarius Ward, the 49ers possess one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL who boasts true lockdown ability and excellent ball skills. Deommodore Lenoir offers the versatility to start on the outside and in the slot while the addition of Isaac Yiadom has given them an underrated coverage defender coming off an excellent 2023.
What they lack at the position is speed. Yet they may be about to change that in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, the 49ers hosted a top-30 visit with Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins.
Wiggins is viewed as one of the top cornerbacks in the class and is a clear candidate to go in the second half of the first round. Last season, Wiggins had a passer rating allowed of 44.4, the sixth-best among corners in the draft class with at least 200 coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
The standout trait that helped him excel to that degree in coverage is Wiggins' frightening speed, which was on full display at the NFL Combine. He clocked the fastest 40-yard dash time among all cornerbacks, surging down the track in a blistering 4.28 seconds.
That time is in part a product of Wiggins' extremely thin frame. He is a little over 6ft 1in but weighs just 173 pounds.
Wiggins' size might be a concern at the next level, and there are some doubts over his run defense.
Yet his stature has not prevented him from excelling in both press-man and zone to this point in his career and, with his speed, Wiggins has the most important trait any corner can have, the ability to recover.
With Ward and Lenoir both set for free agency next offseason, the 49ers appear interested in making the bet that his success in that regard can translate to the highest level and selecting him to be a long-term starter at a premium position.
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