Jakob Robinson is the 49ers' UDFA to Watch According to PFF

The 49ers desperately need a rookie to step up and make a significant impact this year.

They lost nine starting players during free agency and signed zero replacements. So they're counting on up to six rookies starting on defense alone. If one of those starters is an undrafted free agent, so be it.

Pro Football Focus thinks the 49ers' best undrafted free agent his year is BYU cornerback Jakob Robinson.

"The 49ers are set to field one of the shakiest cornerback groups on paper in the NFL, so perhaps the team has high hopes for Robinson, their lone UDFA signing at cornerback," writes PFF's Ben Cooper.

"Robinson earned a 65.0-plus PFF coverage grade in all but one of his four seasons at BYU, and he didn’t allow a passer rating above 100.0 in coverage in any of those campaigns. In the Cougars’ bowl-game win over Colorado, he limited LaJohntay Wester and Jimmy Horn Jr. to two catches for 3 yards. And Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, didn’t secure a catch when matched up with Robinson in BYU’s Week 7 win."

During the 49ers' rookie minicamp last week, Robinson lined up at left cornerback during 7 on 7 drills. He's athletically similar to Deommodore Lenoir, the 49ers' No. 1 cornerback Robinson just needs to put on muscle. He currently weighs just 181 pounds, which is light for an NFL defensive back. The 49ers want their cornerbacks to be ferocious in run support and Robinson simply doesn't have the frame for that just yet. But he's an intriguing project who could start one day.