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49ers NFL Draft: Ranking each rookie by projected 2021 impact

By Jeremy Wohlfart

Trey Sermon #8 of the Ohio State Buckeyes (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Trey Sermon #8 of the Ohio State Buckeyes (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Ambry Thomas, Michigan Wolverines, 49ers
Ambry Thomas #1 of the Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

49ers Rookie No. 4: Ambry Thomas, Cornerback

Ambry Thomas will have the same barriers ahead of him that Deommodore Lenoir will have, but I have Thomas higher as I think he’ll be higher up the depth chart for a few reasons.

The first reason being that while he did opt out in 2020, the 2019 tape of Thomas looks like one of a starting NFL cornerback. If Thomas had played in 2020 and continued where he had left off, he would have been a top-50 pick.

Lenoir also has some questions on whether or not he can only be a nickel cornerback for San Francisco. Head coach Kyle Shanahan insists that Lenoir can start anywhere, and the answer to that question will be answered later on, but Thomas seems a much more logical fit for the outside corner roles in 2021.

I don’t expect Thomas to start right away, but I think he’ll be the primary reserve and will rotate in regularly while being a spot starter if someone goes down.