Former Colorado defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon stands nearly 6-foot-3, weighs 195 pounds, runs the 40-yard dash in under 4.5 seconds (4.45 at the NFL Combine) and has a vertical leap of 40.5 inches, highest of any cornerback prospect attending the NFL Combine.

In short, Witherspoon possesses the cherished “measurables” seen by some as necessary for a long and successful career in the NFL.

His combination of size, speed and agility is rare and extremely hard to find among secondary players, so when the San Francisco 49ers had the opportunity to grab Witherspoon with the 66th overall pick early in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, they pounced.

“When we studied this very strong corner class, we really grew to like (Witherspoon),” 49ers general manager John Lynch said recently. “The reason we grew to like him is he has a unique set of skills for the cornerback position in terms of his height, weight, speed and athleticism.

“It’s rare to find a cornerback who is close to 6-3. Yet, we feel like he has a lot of room for growth. Yet, his movement skills and his profile will allow him to be an excellent scheme fit for us. It was a waiting game. We were hopeful he would be there and sure enough he was.”