49ers roster 2023: Deommodore Lenoir budding into the next Day 3 draft gem

Deommodore Lenoir wasn't supposed to be an impact starter when the 49ers drafted him in 2021, but he's turning into just that two years later.

When one thinks of the San Francisco 49ers' late-round finds from the 2021 NFL Draft, running back Elijah MItchell (Round 6) or All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga (Round 5) are probably the two names that command the most attention.

Perhaps once the 2023 season is in the books, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir will be in that conversation, too.

Lenoir, one of those Niners' fifth-round picks from 2021 out of Oregon, had a lot working against him after being drafted. At 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, he isn't ideal for boundary duties. Yet he isn't twitchy or fast enough to be a true nickel cornerback either.

Over the course of his rookie season, it appeared as if San Francisco wasn't going to get much out of him, and Lenoir saw just 237 defensive snaps.

Then, when the 49ers lost cornerback Emmanuel Moseley to a season-ending ACL tear in Week 5 of the 2022 season, Lenoir ultimately became the beneficiary and performed well enough to be viewed as a top candidate to continue starting in 2023.

Lenoir's stock value rose considerably over another cornerback taken in the same draft, Ambry Thomas, who was almost exclusively relegated to special teams a year ago.

And, despite the Niners having other more experienced defensive backs who could play on the boundary, Lenoir effectively held that position down over the rest of the season and into the playoffs, forcing opposing quarterbacks to post a respectable 91.2 passer rating when targeting him.

Can Lenoir telegraph last year's efforts into a starting gig again in 2023?

What is Deommodore Lenoir's contract with the 49ers?

Lenoir will enter year three of his four-year rookie deal with San Francisco that was signed after he was drafted.

According to Over the Cap, Lenoir will earn up to $1.011 million this season as part of the total $3.765 million he could earn over the life of the deal.

$142,434 is dead money, though, if Lenoir was waived. So, from a financial standpoint, the 49ers wouldn't be hit too hard if they elected to part ways with him.

Based on last year's efforts, though, that doesn't seem likely. Lenoir will be a still-affordable and effective option within the secondary.

Why Deommodore Lenoir starts at cornerback for 49ers (and why he doesn't)

Moseley is off to the Detroit Lions via free agency, meaning there's still an open competition for the No. 2 cornerback role opposite the other boundary starter, Charvarius Ward. And, with Isaiah Oliver the top-billed player to start at nickel, that other boundary spot is effectively the only up-for-grabs position within all of the Niners' defensive backfield.

Right now, Lenoir is the top contender for the job based simply off the fact he ended last season in that very role without too much of a complaint.

San Francisco didn't do too much to reinforce the position during the offseason, signing Oliver to play nickel and then using a fifth-round draft pick on Darrell Luter Jr.

Luter, along with others like Thomas, Qwuantrezz Knight and the undrafted rookie, D'Shawn Jamison, don't exactly pose too big a threat to Lenoir's claim on a starting job.

Provided no changes are made to the roster, it's Lenoir's job to lose.

Read more: CBS Sports links this All-Pro free-agent cornerback to 49ers

That said, cornerback is one of the clear areas on an otherwise Super Bowl-caliber roster that could use some reinforcement, and the 49ers are just one phone call away from adding a still-available free agent corner who could start right away.

Should Lenoir struggle in training camp and in the preseason, that's likely the route the Niners would take.

For now, though, all signs point to Lenoir being just fine as the starting boundary player, which is quite the ascent from being a fifth-round draft choice only two years ago.

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