49ers news: 5 biggest takeaways from 2021 OTAs
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: 49ers better not suffer injuries to cornerbacks
The 49ers haven’t re-signed veteran cornerback Richard Sherman as of this writing, meaning they’re intent on rolling with a trio of starters in Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams and Emmanuel Moseley, while journeyman reserve Dontae Johnson is likely the fill-in starter if needed.
And the Niners better hope, at least for now, this group stays healthy as best as it can this season.
True, San Francisco drafted two corners in the NFL Draft, Ambry Thomas in Round 3 and Deommodore Lenoir in Round 5. Yet OTA practices showed why both rookies aren’t necessarily tabbed as plug-and-play starters.
In Thomas’ case, he gave up a number of not-so-contested catches in coverage, while Lenoir struggled with his reactions skills and didn’t display the necessary speed to catch up after being beat.
Those traits won’t cut it at the NFL level.
True, Thomas opted out last year, and Lenoir might just need time to acclimate, too. But it could take a full year for either player to be ready to assume a full-time starting responsibility, meaning the pressure will be on oft-injured players like Verrett and Williams to not miss substantial field time this upcoming season.