Vikings Meet With CB Dontae Johnson
The Vikings hosted former 49ers cornerback Dontae Johnson on a free agent visit, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Johnson, a 2014 fourth round pick, started in 16 games for the Niners last season. 
Johnson served as a reserve for the first three years of his career, but stepped up into a larger role in 2017. Going by the advanced metrics, it wasn’t necessarily a success. The 26-year-old ranked near the bottom of Football Outsiders’ yards allowed per pass and success rate. Meanwhile, he graded out as the third worst qualified corner in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, as he placed 118th out of 121 possible players.
The Vikings lost a supporting cornerback this offseason when Tramaine Brock signed with the Broncos. Marcus Sherels has been retained with a new deal, but the status of 39-year-old Terence Newman remains up in the air. If signed, Johnson would provide Minnesota with some depth in the secondary.
Would 49ers Take Quenton Nelson?
- Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson is a fit for the 49ers if he slips to No. 9 overall, but he is not the ideal guard for SF, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee opines. The 49ers are after a guard who can move while Nelson, a power blocker, struggled against speedy defenses at times, including a late season loss to Miami. The Bears, picking at No. 8, are believed to be eyeing Nelson, so the Niners probably won’t be faced with a question of whether or not to select him.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick
On Tuesday, NFL lawyers will depose Colin Kaepernick in New York, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports writes. Kaep will become the first witness deposed by the NFL in his own complaint. 
No one knows for sure what the NFL will ask the former 49ers quarterback, but a league source tells Robinson that lawyers are likely to concentrate on Kaepernick’s mental outlook during the free agency period last March. Kaepernick says that he was blackballed from the league, but NFL attorneys will question whether he “corrupted his free agent market through a series of factors relating to football skills, contract expectations and motivation to play,” Robinson writes.
It’s expected that he’ll be asked whether he expected to be signed as a starter, what kind of salary he was seeking, and whether his injury history had diminished his skills. League lawyers may also ask him to produce his smoking gun, which would be concrete proof that teams or executives sought to keep him out of the game.
Although the questioning of Kaepernick is a major development in his collusion case, it’s not a sign that the end is near. In fact, Robinson hears that the collusion complaint could drag into 2019 with a number of league execs, owners, and team personnel left on the QB’s deposition list.
Draft Rumors: Guice, Key, Ridley, Panthers
LSU running back Derrius Guice has changed representation, going from the firm that represents rap star Kendrick Lamar to one headed up by Lil Wayne, as Darren Heitner of Forbes Magazine writes. Guice is the latest draft prospect to join Young Money APAA Sports, which also represents Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson. Thanks to a buyout of another firm late last year, the agency also has NFL players Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon, Lane Johnson, Jason McCourty and Seth Roberts in its stable.
Here’s more NFL Draft news:
- Speaking of LSU, pass rusher Arden Key will visit with the Titans on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. At No. 25 overall, the Titans could be in range for the athletic prospect.
- Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley will visit with the Panthers on Wednesday after the team completes it’s trip to Washington D.C., according to Rapoport. Ridley recently met with the Cowboys and is widely projected to be a first round pick.
- Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson has Top 30 visits with the Bills, Titans, and Buccaneers this week, Rapoport tweets.
- Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick is visiting the 49ers this week, per Rapoport.
- Memphis wide receiver Anthony Miller met with the Panthers on Monday, according to Rapoport.
- Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan, projected as a first-round pick, will have a dozen official visits to team facilities along with six individual workouts on campus, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The Buccaneers hosted him on a visit last week, so he could stay in the Sunshine State. Bryan is the 24th best prospect in the draft, according to NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah.
- The Lions have more pressing needs at running back, pass rusher, and on the interior offensive line, but they could consider safeties early in the draft. The Lions hosted Stanford’s Justin Reid on a top-30 visit last week, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press hears.
49ers To Host DE Arden Key For Private Workout
The 49ers are set to host a private workout for LSU edge-rusher Arden Key, he said during an interview with NFL Network’s “Path to the Draft,” making him the 10th player to visit with the team prior to the draft. The Saints and 49ers are the only two teams who have set up private workouts with Key, who’s projected to go somewhere in the first two rounds.
Key said on NFL Network that he will have a visit with the 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., along with the private workout. He also said he has visits planned with the Redskins, Titans, Bears and Cowboys.
The 49ers hold the ninth overall pick in the draft. They’ve also held private visits with Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker, Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter, Iowa center James Daniels, Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, Yale defensive back Foye Oluokon, Kansas State wide receiver Byron Pringle, Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith and Florida State wide receiver Auden Tate.
NFL Draft Rumors: Bucs, Packers, James
Florida State safety Derwin James spent Wednesday meeting with the Buccaneers and will sit down with the Packers on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). James, the No. 9 ranked safety in the draft per NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, offers versatility with experience at both safety spots, nickel cornerback, and even outside linebacker. He arguably performs better when playing closer to the line, so the team that drafts him will likely look to continue using him in multiple roles.
Here’s more NFL Draft news:
- NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb met with the Buccaneers on Wednesday and is visiting the Giants on Thursday, Rapoport tweets. Chubb has another top 5 team visit next week, Rapoport notes, but he did not specify the club.
- Wisconsin linebacker Jack Cichy was with the Vikings on Wednesday, Rapoport tweets. Cichy suffered an ACL tear in the summer that prevented him from seeing the field in 2017. Before the injury, he was considered a first-round prospect and he could still come off the board in Day 2 if he demonstrates that he is healthy.
- Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward is visiting the 49ers on Thursday, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). The Niners pick No. 9 overall and he could be a possibility for San Francisco there. SF will also meet with Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter.
- The Bears met with a pair of top defensive backs in Ward and Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama), Rapoport tweets. Fitzpatrick previously visited the Buccaneers. The Bears own the No. 8 pick in the draft, so they could be in range for both players.
- The Vikings met with University of Texas offensive tackle Connor Williams and Notre Dame tackle Mike McGlinchey, Rapoport tweets. Jeremiah has Williams ranked as the No. 21 prospect in this year’s draft while McGlinchey is at No. 35.
- Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans visited the Dolphins (No. 11) this week, Rapoport tweets. Evans, who played all over in Bama’s front seven, offers strong coverage against both tight ends and running backs.
- Alabama defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne is meeting with the Falcons, according to Rapoport.
- The Buccaneers, who own the No. 7 pick in the first round, had former Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson in for a visit on Wednesday, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
49ers To Sign Korey Toomer
The 49ers have signed linebacker Korey Toomer, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Toomer met with the Niners on Tuesday and agreed to a deal soon after. 
Toomer hooked on with the Chargers early in the 2016 season and he worked his way into the team’s rotation. He earned positive marks from Pro Football Rumors for his performance as a part-timer. It sound be noted that he has only a limited sample to offer from last season as he appeared in just 266 snaps.
Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was a defensive quality control coach in Seattle when the Seahawks drafted Toomer six years ago, so he could be in line for a decent role in SF. Toomer, 29, had a pick six against the Bills Week 11 of the 2017 season and had a career-high 71 tackles in ’16.
Toomer will help to fortify a linebacker group fraught with question marks. Malcolm Smith is coming off an injury that wiped out his first season with the Niners and Reuben Foster is under investigation for an alleged domestic violence incident.
LB Korey Toomer To Visit 49ers
An eight-game starter for the Chargers in each of the past two seasons, Korey Toomer will visit another California team that’s expressing interest.
The veteran linebacker will visit the 49ers on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. A 2012 fifth-round pick, Toomer previously met with the Colts during this free agency period. Eric Williams of ESPN.com points out (via Twitter) current San Francisco DC Robert Saleh was a defensive quality control coach in Seattle when the Seahawks drafted Toomer six years ago.
San Francisco has some issues at linebacker presently. Under ideal circumstances, Reuben Foster and Malcolm Smith would be starting linebackers for the 49ers. But Smith is coming off an injury that nullified his first season with the Niners, and Foster is under investigation related to an alleged domestic violence incident.
The Bolts signed Toomer off the Raiders’ practice squad early in the 2016 season, and he became a part-time performer for the team. Pro Football Focus graded his two Chargers seasons as upper-echelon work. However, he only played 266 snaps last season despite suiting up for 15 games. Toomer, now 29, returned an interception for a score last season and made a career-high 71 tackles in 2016.
49ers Pleased With Versatility Provided By Jerick McKinnon
- Jerick McKinnon‘s versatility in comparison to Carlos Hyde, who signed with the Browns this offseason, has the 49ers ecstatic about their most-recent addition at running back. “Everyone talks about running back and stuff – they need a new position to name people,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “Because he plays running back and receiver and tight end – he does all that. You use him the same way you use all these positions. He’s a very good running back. But he also brings a lot of other stuff to the table.”
- On Saturday, we learned that the Rams plan to play newly-signed Ndamukong Suh at nose tackle in their base 3-4 defense, with Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers on the edges.
49ers To Again Try Jimmie Ward At CB
Because of the lack of a solidified position, Jimmie Ward has enjoyed a unique start to his career. He’s been shuttled between cornerback and safety throughout his run with the 49ers, and despite returning to play for the same defensive coordinator in a second consecutive for the first time as a pro, Ward still doesn’t have a surefire position. Robert Saleh used him at safety last season after Jim O’Neil stationed him at cornerback in 2016. He saw action at both spots under Eric Mangini in 2015. Now, the 49ers are again ready to see if he can play outside corner again.
“Jimmie Ward is a guy who’s played some outside corner in his career,” John Lynch said, via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “We’re going to experiment with that this offseason and see if that’s viable and give him some time there.”
The 49ers have Richard Sherman and Ahkello Witherspoon penciled in as cornerback starters, and Maiocco reports they don’t intend to re-sign Eric Reid. So, keeping Ward at safety would make more sense from a personnel standpoint. But the team nevertheless intends to persist experimenting with the fifth-year player as a corner. However, Maiocco notes the 49ers view 2017 seventh-rounder Adrian Colbert as a possible starting-caliber safety alongside Jaquiski Tartt.
- Expected to be in the mix for wide receivers this offseason, the 49ers instead backed off of this year’s top UFA targets. Maiocco reports they weren’t interested in either Sammy Watkins or Allen Robinson but are expected to target a wideout in the draft. “What you don’t want to do is have a bunch of guys who are OK but are paid like the best,” Kyle Shanahan said. “That’s where you get in trouble and have to stay away from in free agency. It’s usually why the draft is the best way to go.” San Francisco extended Marquise Goodwin this offseason and has Pierre Garcon due back as well.
- UFA signee Jonathan Cooper will line up at right guard initially for the 49ers. Laken Tomlinson will slot in at left guard, per Maiocco, who adds a slimmed-down Joshua Garnett will compete with Cooper for the right guard job. Tomlinson started 15 games at left guard for the 49ers last season. Last year’s right guard, Brandon Fusco, left in free agency. A 2016 first-rounder, Garnett started 11 games as a rookie.