Predicting who receives 49ers player awards for 2022 season

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Samuel Womack, Toledo Rockets, Warren Jackson, Colorado State Rams

Toledo Rockets defensive back Samuel Womack (19) battles Colorado State Rams wide receiver Warren Jackson (9) Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

49ers Defensive Rookie of the Year: Samuel Womack

As noted earlier, Drake Jackson has an excellent opportunity to help out Nick Bosa, and there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the 49ers’ top pick from this year’s NFL Draft.

That said, Jackson is still notably raw and has a long way to go before emerging as a quality pass-rushing threat, and he might be featured merely in a supplemental role before anything else.

Nickel cornerback Samuel Womack, however, has an excellent chance of impacting the Niners defense right away, especially in the wake of San Francisco losing long-time veteran starter K’Waun Williams in free agency.

Currently, the position battle to watch at nickel is between Womack and the veteran, Darqueze Dennard. However, combing through many practice reports from organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, it was Womack who stood out the most between the two.

The 5-foot-10, 187-pound defensive back has a lot of traits similar to Williams, and it’s not hard to see why the 49ers picked him up in Round 5.

Jumping from a day-three pick to a would-be starter in year one would be quite the accomplishment, and Womack appears poised to do just that.