49ers’ corners try to catch on
Humbled rookies are racing to fill position of need
In May, a day before he made his NFL practice debut at the 49ers’ rookie minicamp, cornerback Ambry Thomas was ultra-confident.
“I’ve just got to get used to the whole playbook,” Thomas said. “But once I feel like I got that, it’s over. It’s over.”
The next day, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir posted a video on Twitter, proudly displaying his interception during a one-on-one drill. When the video inspired a social-media shout-out from Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, Lenoir wrote back to Sanders, “… Appreciate you, man. I learned that swag from you.”
Fast forward three months and Thomas, a third-round pick, and Lenoir, a fifthrounder, gave off a decidedly different vibe Thursday as they discussed their early NFL experience.
Thomas said he “definitely” has been humbled while adjusting to the next level. Lenoir acknowledged he was wrong in thinking the NFL was “going to be the same as college.” He relayed a story from the spring when specialteams coordinator Richard Hightower told free safety Jimmie Ward, 30, the team’s longest-tenured player, to guide the young, confused corners.
“In OTAs, it was crazy,” Lenoir said. “It was like a culture shock. I didn’t know where to go. Me and Ambry were following each other. We didn’t know where to go. And then I remember coach Hightower screaming at Jimmie, ‘Jimmie, take them under your wing.’ And we just followed Jimmie everywhere.”
The 49ers’ lack of depth
behind starting cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley was the reason they used two of their first six draft picks on Thomas and Lenoir. Consider: When Moseley began training camp on the COVID-19 list, their first option off the bench was Tim Harris, a 2019 sixth-round pick who has not played a regular-season snap (Harris was waived off injured reserve Wednesday).
Given the lack of options, coupled with Verrett’s extensive injury history, there’s a strong chance the 49ers will need Thomas or Lenoir, if not both, to play meaningful snaps this season. And that explains why secondary coach Cory Undlin noted there’s a “bit more urgency” to get the 21-year-olds ready before the regular-season opener at Detroit on Sept. 12. Thomas and Lenoir are the youngest players on the team behind rookie quarterback Trey Lance.
“Forget about the football part of it,” Undlin said. “Just surviving and being able to wake up every morning and be on top of your calendar and your clock. And that’s a piece that we’re spending — not as much — but a lot of time on as well. Not to mention put your stuff on and come out here and try to compete on the field. They’ve got a long way to go. I’m proud of where they’re at right now, but we’ve got a long way to go.”
Why can the NFL transition be so challenging for cornerbacks? Undlin, 50, the Lions’ defensive coordinator last year who is an 18-year NFL veteran, noted Thomas and Lenoir are learning how to line up properly before the snap, with the proper depth, leverage, foot placement and alignment, based on the offensive formation. And that formation likely will be altered before the snap.
It’s far different than what Thomas did at Michigan, where he played almost exclusively in press-man coverage. That is, he lined up close to a wide receiver and his responsibility was to shadow him.
“It’s not like you just get the (defensive) call and come out of the huddle,” Undlin said. “… There’s going to be (an offensive) shift. There’s going to be a motion. Forget about all the (coverage) techniques, you’ve just got to get lined up with the right leverage and the right stance. And then be able to then execute that.”
The rookies will get a chance to see where they are in their development Saturday during the preseason opener against Kansas City. Unlike their rookie camp in May, they’ll enter with more perspective about what it will take for them to get ready for the real games.
“It’s very different (in the NFL) because every little detail is very important,” Lenoir said. “It could be just a split second and if you’re off by a yard, that’s a catch. Or a touchdown.”