San Francisco 49ers: 5 Players Who Should be Cut by Week 1
No. 4, OLB Corey Lemonier
Linebacker Corey Lemonier was a highly touted prospect out of Auburn in 2013. The 49ers snaged the speedy pass-rusher in the third round that year. With his perfect build as a 3-4 outside edge-rusher (6-foot-3 and 255 pounds) Lemonier was able to record one sack and one safety in reserve as a rookie.
It seems that Lemonier would be a good young reserve, but he has yet to prove himself since being drafted. His first two years, he played in all 16 games as a backup. In 2015, he appeared in 10 games with two starts, but disappointed with only eight tackles and four assists all season.
Lemonier seems like a classic bust. He’s tall, strong and has incredible speed. He just can’t seem to play football though, and has an uphill battle come camp.
Ninernoise.com’s Peter Panacy wrote about Lemonier in his “Breaking Down San Francisco 49ers Linebacker Position in Advance of 2016” saying:
"One player who could go is third-year linebacker Corey Lemonier. Despite high accolades coming out of Auburn, Lemonier has registered just one sack at the pro level and has seen his role diminish ever since joining the Niners in 2013. A fringe player at best, one has to wonder if training camp will provide the last-best hope for Lemonier to remain with the team."
Panacy also broke down Carradine and the other reserves. The 49ers should probably keep the starred players.
Outside Linebacker
- Ahmad Brooks*
- Tank Carradine (EDGE)*
- Jason Fanaika
- Eli Harold*
- Lenny Jones
- Corey Lemonier
- Aaron Lynch*
- Marcus Rush
Unless the team wants to carry five OLBs, Aaron Lynch and Eli Harold should start, while Carradine gives great potential on third downs and Ahmad Brooks is the veteran of the group.
Maybe Brooks can revert to 2013 form with help from a better defensive line? Doubt it, but they may as well keep him at this point and Lemonier has to go because he isn’t better now, or potentially, than any of those four really.
Next: No. 3, Marcus Martin