Will 49ers Draft Cornerback in Round 1 for 1st Time Since 2002?

Most mock drafts project the 49ers to take a cornerback with the 11th pick this year.

The logic is sound. The 49ers lost Charvarius Ward and Isaac Yiadom this offseason. They still have Deommodore Lenoir, who's excellent, but the No. 2 cornerback is Renardo Green, who's talented yet unproven. He started just 7 games as a rookie last season. And the 49ers don't really have a No. 3 cornerback right now.

So if Michigan's Will Johnson or Texas' Jahdae Barron drop to the 49ers in Round 1, lots of experts expect the 49ers to pick one of those two players.

Here's the thing, though. The 49ers almost never spend high draft picks on cornerbacks. Last year when they drafted Green, he was the first cornerback they drafted in Round 2 since Shawntae Spencer in 2004.

In addition, the last cornerback the 49ers drafted in Round 1 was Mike Rumph in 2002. Finally, the last cornerback the 49ers drafted with a top-11 pick was Ronnie Lott who was the eighth pick in 1981.

For some odd reason, the 49ers made an organizational decision roughly 20 years ago to stop drafting cornerbacks in the top 60. Even Green wasn't a top-60 pick.

So maybe the 49ers will completely abandon their draft philosophy this year. I just find that highly unlikely. They currently have just one starting-caliber defensive lineman on their roster and they've drafted D-linemen in Round 1 plenty of times throughout the years.

I'd be shocked if they didn't take another one this year.