49ers training camp: 5 starting jobs fully up for grabs

49ers starting position No. 4: Nickel cornerback

Players in the mix: Darqueze Dennard, Samuel Womack, Emmanuel Moseley, Ambry Thomas, Dontae Johnson

OK, technically speaking, nickel cornerbacks aren’t starters. But considering nickel packages have essentially emerged as the base-down formation for NFL defenses, one should look at the position in such a way.

There was an intriguing battle during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp for this role between veteran corner Darqueze Dennard and the fifth-round rookie, Samuel Womack, with reports suggesting Womack was getting the upper hand.

Whether or not that trend will continue into training camp is anyone’s guess, yet San Francisco likely drafted Womack to be the long-term replacement for now-Denver Broncos nickel back K’Waun Williams, so there’s that to consider.

However, rookie defensive backs tend to struggle in year one, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see the 49ers go with a stopgap option, perhaps plugging in Emmanuel Moseley, should he lose a starting boundary job to the likes of Jason Verrett, or even second-year pro Ambry Thomas, who’s even further down the depth chart.

And never, never, never count out Dontae Johnson. He’s inevitable.