49ers training camp: Each position's top battle to watch in 2023
By Peter Panacy
Top 49ers cornerback battle: No. 2 boundary corner
Players in the mix: Deommodore Lenoir, Darrell Luter Jr., Ambry Thomas
The departure of cornerback Emmanuel Moseley via free agency to the Detroit Lions last March opened up a void at the No. 2 boundary spot opposite Charvarius Ward.
However, it's not a void the 49ers are completely new to. Considering Moseley was lost in Week 5 last year to a torn ACL, the Niners got a good look at Deommodore Lenoir, the defensive back out of Oregon from San Francisco's 2021 draft class.
Lenoir is probably the favorite to start, but he'll be challenged by another one of his draft classmates, Ambry Thomas, who looked promising enough late his rookie season but completely fell out of favor a year ago. If Thomas wants to hang around on the roster, he'll probably have to win the starting job outright.
Also in the mix is Darrell Luter Jr., the small-school rookie out of South Alabama whom the 49ers grabbed in Round 5 of this year's draft.
Luter might not start right away, but he could easily wind up being the primary reserve for either boundary spot if he impresses well enough.