49ers rookie CB ascending quickly thanks to newfound versatility
The San Francisco 49ers might have something in their secondary.
After years of prioritizing the defensive line and not investing heavily in cornerback during the draft, the 49ers finally spent a second-round pick on Florida State cornerback Renardo Green in 2024. They selected him No. 64 overall -- marking the earliest they'd ever taken a CB in the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era.
With an opening in the starting lineup, there was hope that Green may be able to step in right away as a starter. He primarily played outside corner in college, but the team quickly moved him into the slot which is an entirely new position.
That might have pushed Green into a situation where he was left out of the starting lineup as he learned a new position, but defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen told reporters in a press conference after Wednesday's practice that the early move inside has only benefitted the rookie CB.
“Both spots. That was kind of the plan," Sorensen said. "I wanted to give him the harder stuff early, because he hadn’t played in there. It’s always easier, I think, to move back out to what you’re used to, then to try something really new. Then if we did it later, it would have been like, oh my gosh, blow your mind. Where when we gave him the hard stuff early, then he handled it while also playing corner. So now it’s like, let’s get you focused on playing outside and see if it clears your mind. Let you just play. Now he just kind of has to know both. Just like [DB Deommodore Lenoir] Demo does. We like to challenge our guys and see what they can handle. And when you see that they can handle it, it's awesome. It gives you that flexibility. And he's just a competitive kid that's smart, that wants to do it right.”
It appears the main competition for the third CB spot is between Green and veteran CB Isaac Yiadom. The latter only plays outside and has primarily been a special teams contributor throughout his career, but looked to be on track to win the third CB job before an injury sidelined him for a few weeks in camp.
That opened the door for Green who has flashed in practice and during the 49ers' pair of preseason games. He took full advantage of the opportunities.
Even if the club decides to go with Yiadom in the starting lineup right away, Green has done everything to point his arrow in the right direction going into his first regular season. Perhaps he contributes right away, but even if he doesn't, he's on track to be a factor in the secondary for the foreseeable future. That would be a really nice return on the team's first big draft investment at CB.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers rookie CB ascending quickly thanks to newfound versatility
