The offseason exodus of veteran talent from the San Francisco 49ers' defense will yield opportunities for multiple members of the incoming rookie class to make an immediate impact. In a broad sense, it was time for a shift toward younger, cheaper talent.
But some young 49ers players got an opportunity last season when injuries hit last season, and a free agent departure is also opening up a bigger opportunity this year. Cornerback Renardo Green is in that category.
Green was the 49ers' second-round pick in the 2024 draft (No. 64 overall). He spent most of his time early last season playing special teams (five or fewer defensive snaps in four of the first five games). But from there he played more than 60 percent of the defensive snaps in 11 straight games (Week 6-Week 17), and he started seven of the final nine games.
During his press conference on Thursday ahead of rookie minicamp, Robert Saleh named Green when talking about the talent he is inheriting compared to when he started his first stint as 49ers' defensive coordinator.
"From a talent standpoint, (Nick) Bosa's here," Saleh said. "You've got, obviously, Fred (Warner),(Deommodore Lenoir), Renardo (Green). There's a lot of really good talent on this defense, so it's not nearly what '17 was."
Pro Football Focus puts Renardo Green on breakout track
Jonathan Macri of Pro Football Focus has honed in on one post-draft breakout candidate for each NFL team. For the 49ers, he chose Green.
'"Green took on a larger role in the latter half of his rookie season, filling in for Charvarius Ward most often, which he’ll now have to do on a permanent basis. Green earned a 74.3 coverage grade and posted a 15.7% forced incompletion rate – both of which were top-20 marks at the position. With no significant competition brought in this offseason to help alleviate the Ward loss on the outside, there is at least some perceived confidence that the 2024 second-rounder can continue his strong play on a full-time basis."
Green earned PFF's 36th-best overall grade among cornerbacks last season (69.2), with the aforementioned 74.3 coverage grade coming in as the 19th-best mark at the position and the third-best among rookie corners. His surface-level numbers were quite good as well (61 total tackles, one interception and 13 pass breakups).
After proving himself worthy as a rookie, Green will be a starter from the get-go this year. A full-on breakout is definitely in play for him, and Saleh being in charge of the 49ers' defense will only help that come to fruition.