The 49ers are hosting Ohio State draft prospect Denzel Ward this week – a hyper-athletic cornerback who might be undersized for San Francisco’s scheme.

The team’s current group of outside corners are all 6-1 or taller, including projected starters Richard Sherman and Ahkello Witherspoon, who are both 6-3. With Ward (5-11, 183) visiting, I looked to see how teams that run a similar scheme have drafted at the position in recent seasons.

Only one of the last 10 corners drafted by San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta and Jacksonville is shorter than 6-0 with shorter than 32-inch arms, which are considered the bench marks for height and length at the position.

Size is an apparent requisite, so let’s take a look at cornerbacks throughout the NFL draft that have both the size and length teams running Pete Carroll’s scheme have looked for at cornerback – assuming the 49ers don’t draft Ward or Iowa’s Josh Jackson in Round 1.

Isaiah Oliver (6-0, 202), Colorado

Arm length: 33 1/2 inches

Oliver didn’t take over the starting job until 2017 after Witherspoon, his college teammate, and Chidobe Awuzie left for the NFL. Oliver maximized his opportunity, breaking up 15 passes in 10 starts and allowing just a 43.6-percent completion rate, per Pro Football Focus.

(Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Like many cornerbacks in this group, Oliver might struggle against smaller, shifty receivers in space. But those opportunities are minimized in San Francisco’s scheme, making him an ideal prospect for the 49ers to develop. But it appears they would have to maneuver toward the back of the first round or early in Round 2 to take Oliver. The 49ers don’t pick in Round 2 until No. 59 overall – the pick they received in a trade with the Saints – which might be too late for the fringe first-round prospect.

Projection: Round 1-2