The 49ers selected Deommodore Lenoir in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. What should fans expect to see from the rookie cornerback in 2021?
The 2020 NFL Draft came and went without the San Francisco 49ers selecting one defensive back. The 2020 season saw the Niners continually add players to the IR week after week.
And other than Jason Verrett, the rest of the cornerback position group was oft-injured and didn’t provide the same consistency that Verrett did during the season.
Therefore, it was probably a safe bet to say San Francisco would be going defensive-back heavy in the 2021 NFL Draft. The team took cornerback Ambry Thomas out of Michigan in the third round (102nd overall).
Two picks later in the fifth round, they selected another cornerback.
The fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft was extremely busy for the 49ers. They had three picks alone in that round. In addition to their original pick at 155, the 49ers also gained a pick at 172 via trade and earned a compensatory pick at 180.
With the 172nd overall pick and their second selection of the fifth round, they drafted Deommodore Lenoir, a cornerback out of the University of Oregon.
In the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, Lenoir started in all six regular-season games and one bowl game for the Ducks. In that shortened season though he showed out.
Lenoir was named to the Pac-12 All-Conference second team in 2020 which also happened to be his senior season. He was a solid contributor to a Ducks team that saw five of its players be selected in the draft.
49er Faithful are probably now wondering what to expect from Lenoir in the 2021 season.
Let’s take a look at three things we can expect.
No. 3: Deommodore Lenoir offers good press coverage for 49ers defense
In a video that was recently making waves on social media, Lenoir showed off his skills on what was the first day of rookie minicamp. During a one on one drill, he was seen pressing his teammate, throwing him off of his route and then getting an interception.
It was masterful and it drew the applause of former 49er and Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who might know a thing or two about guarding receivers.
He hyperbolically referred to the camp play as “aggravated assault.”
The draft reports about Lenoir all pointed to the fact that he is physical and aggressive. He is good at press coverage and can use that same physicality as a tackler in the open field.
If he sees the field in 2021 on defensive snaps, fans should expect to see him bully receivers right up at the line of scrimmage affecting their routes and altering the plays.
No. 2: Could Deommodore Lenoir be too overly physical?
Will Lenoir’s physicality lead to problems, though? Another side of pre-draft reports was that he could be overly physical in downfield coverage.
Lenoir’s physicality is his best friend within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. However, his use of force in downfield coverage could in fact lead to defensive holding and pass-interference calls.
Being that he has a smaller build, one-on-one coverage is not his forte, he was seen to be better at zone coverage. Look for him to be inserted in nickel packages and take some reps from K’Waun Williams at the nickel corner spot especially in zone schemes.
The 49ers and defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans will likely gauge Lenoir’s talent from the nickel corner spot, as he is worked into the defense.
Ryans will play to Lenoir’s strengths and insert him into defensive situations that will compliment his aggressiveness.
No. 1: A hyena mentality for 49ers
While everyone in high school wanted to be a lion and be compared to the king of the jungle, Lenior had other aspirations. In an attempt to be unique, he chose the hyena moniker. In his words, the hyena is “sneaky quick” and that’s how envisions himself on the field.
The hyena is a scavenger as well as a hunter and that may be a fitting comparison for Lenoir as he has some versatility in his game.
He can sit back in zone coverage and make some wide receiver-like plays on balls thrown his way. Or he could attack and help with run support. All of the above were highlighted as strengths in his game according to pre-draft reports.
Although Lenoir will have an uphill battle to take a starting corner spot from one of the veterans on the team, his willingness to play wherever he is put on the field, whether that be on defensive snaps or special teams will not go unnoticed.
With a year or two to develop, he could become an important part of the 49ers defense for years to come.