During the draft broadcast, Mike Mayock called new San Francisco 49ers defensive back Tarvarius Moore, who is slated to play cornerback when OTAs begin, a "late riser." Head coach Kyle Shanahan agrees with the statement.

"He is a late riser because you don't get invited to the combine, so you're just a little -- at least for the coaches," Shanahan said. "We see him a little bit later than we saw the other guys before. I know the scouts, I know our DB coach, Jeff Hafley, they were very high on this guy pretty early.

"When you're not invited to the combine and things like that, you think you've got a sleeper, and then a guy goes and runs a 4.32 (40-yard dash) at his pro day. Then all of a sudden, he's not so much of a sleeper. More people start to hear about it, and probably a lot of guys [started to learn] about him, thinking they could find him later in the draft. Then you start to do that stuff. By the time the three months go by, the secret's over."

General manager John Lynch said his scouts did a great job identifying "elite athletic traits" in Moore, whose physical attributes also fit what the 49ers are looking for at the position.


"Again, you talk about a guy with length that can run and has ball skills, but then he goes and runs a 4.32," Lynch said. "No more sleeper. People have been [awoken]."

Moore will work behind Jimmie Ward once OTAs kick off next month. Ward is also transitioning from safety to cornerback. Although, he has played the position before. It makes sense to place Moore behind a player who has experience playing both positions.

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