San Francisco 49ers

Antoine Bethea: 'A lot of good competition' for 49ers cornerbacks

Published May. 7, 2015 2:54 p.m. ET

foxsports

Many assumed the San Francisco 49ers would be selecting a cornerback in the 2015 NFL Draft. However, the 49ers did not go that route and they will let the cornerbacks already on the roster battle it out in training camp for playing time and roster spots.

Strong safety Antoine Bethea told the 49ers official website he likes what he sees so far with the current group of cornerbacks.

“There’s been a lot of competition,” Bethea recently said after a voluntary offseason practice. “We’ve had a short minicamp and everybody’s learning, so there are really no positions, but when training camp comes, there’s going to be a lot of competition, a lot of good competition. I'm excited to see it.”

Not only will the 49ers be battling in training camp for playing time and roster spots, but they are also learning a new 3-4 defensive scheme under new defensive coordinator Eric Mangini.

“I’m back learning again,” Bethea said, “trying to learn a new defense and I’m always trying to get better.”

Bethea wants to forget about the tough season the 49ers experienced last year. The mood around camp seems to indicate the players are doing just that.

“Last year was last year, that’s behind us,” Bethea said. “We have a lot of good things to look forward to, and I’m going to do whatever I can to help this team improve.

“We’ve had really upbeat, high-spirited practices,” Bethea said. “Guys are learning on the run and in the classroom. It just feels good to be able to go out there and compete. We're building, and I think we’ll be fine.”

(h/t San Francisco 49ers)