Rookie cornerback rises to new level

Fouryears ago, 49ers cornerback Dontae Johnson was a true freshman backup safety at North Carolina State.

And Torrey Smith was an all-conference wide receiver at Maryland who was less than six months away from becoming a second-round NFL draft pick.

The disparate two didn’t face eachother consistently Nov. 27, 2010, but when they did, it wasn’t a fair fight.

Smith’s stat line— 14 catches, 224yardsand four touchdowns— led to Maryland’s 38-31winand inspired a call to Johnson fromhis highschool coach, Jerry Eure.

“Yeah, Torrey Smith kind of ate him up,” said Eure, a former cornerback

at Wyoming. “And I just told him, ‘It’s OK. You’ll be fine. It just takes awhile to catchup to the speed of the game when you move upto a new level.’ ”

Last Sunday, Johnson, in his first game at anew level, found himself in a similar situation: Pressed in to emergency duty, the rookie fourth-round pick was suddenly lined up against Dallas wide out Dez Bryant, a Pro Bowler, in the firstquarter.

After this game, however, Eure’s message was far different.

“I texted Dontae and told him, ‘Nice job,’ ” Eure said. “And he thanked me.”

The 49ers were also thankful after Johnson, 22, the No. 129overall pick, played precociously in a season-opening 28-17 winover the Cowboys. Johnson entered late in the firstquarter after both starting cornerbacks, Tramaine Brockand Chris Culliver, exited with injuries.

Johnson played 45 of 69 snaps, broke up a team high two passes and was a reason Bryant (four catches, 55yards) and quarterback Tony Romo (60.8 passer rating) had forgettable afternoons. Johnson wasn’t flawless. Hewas in coverage on wide out Terrance Williams’ 2yard touch down catch in the fourthquarter, but the “youngster,” as linebacker Patrick Willistermed him lastweek, did nothing to inspire-Smith-circa-2010 flashbacks.

“Being asked to do it on opening day ... may have been a stretch, but hewent in there and did verywell.”

Vic Fangio, 49ers defensive coordinator

“I though the was going to be capable,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “I didn’t know if it was going to be that Sunday, youknow? I do think he’s capable emotionally and mentally to do it. Now, being asked to do it on opening day of his rookie year may have been a stretch, bu the went in there and did very well.”

It’s not clea rwhat role Johnson will have in his second career game Sunday when the Bears visit the 49ers in the first regular-season gamea t Levi’s Stadium. Both Brock(toe) and Culliver (concussion) are listed as questionable, although Culliver is expected to play. Brock didn’t practice during the week, and Johnson likely will be the backup behind Culliver and Perrish Coxif Brockis sidelined.

Whatever his role, Johnson now feels even more confident he belongs at the next level. That beliefwas bolstered after he successfully went from dealingwith butterflies to Bryant in the firstquarter last Sunday.

Johnson’s mood when he first arrived int he defensive huddle?

“I think he was nervous,” said safety Eric Reid.

Said Johnson: “When I came into thegame, the whole huddle was like, ‘Hey, man, you can play this game. You wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t play this game. So just do what youdo.’ ”

Johnson was among seven rookies who played for the 49ers in Week 1, one more than the combined total who played in San Francisco’s season openers the previous two years. Last Sunday, the groupof first-year players included running back Carlo s Hyde (seven carries, 50yards, TD), nickel cornerback Jimmie Ward and wide receiver Bruce Ellington, who handled punt and kickoff returns.

And, of course, there was Johnson, who has the necessary size (6-foot-2, 200) and athleticism (4.45second40-yard dash) to dealwith the league’s expanding collecting of hulking wide receivers. Lastyear, sevenof the top 10 in receiving yards were at leas t6-3 and eight weighed at least 205 pounds.

“The trend that the NFL is leaning toward— taller corners to defense taller receivers— I feel like it’s been to my advantage,” Johnson said. “But you’ve still got tobe able tomove and do everything a 5-10, 5-11 corner can do.”

Eure first saw Johnson’s potential at the Pennington School in Pennington, N.J., a private school for grades 6-12 located less than 10 miles from Princeton University. Johnson, who grew up about 40 miles awayin South Plain field, was a boarder at Pennington, which he attended because of its academic prowess.

Johnson was raised by a singlemother, Holly Garner, who did not marry his father. Johnson doesn’t have a relationshipwith his dad, but his mom, a management consultant at AT&T, and extended familymembers suchas his grandmother and uncle instilled proper principles in him. He understood the importance of education atan early age and was eager to receive a financial-aid scholarship to hel phim attend Pennington, where theannual tuition ismore than $30,000.

Johnson, who graduated from N.C. State in December with adouble major in sports management and business administration, excelled at Pennington. He had a 3.7 GPA, was captain of the football and basketball teams, was active in various leadership programs and turned down a scholarship from Stanford to stay on the EastCoast.

Given Johnson’s well rounded prep career, the hard-nosed Eure, known byhis players as “Chief,” figured he’d be successful off the field when he left Pennington.

Johnson has since erased Eure’s lone concern about him as a football player.

“Hewas amodel student from the moment he got here,” Eure said.“But sometimes I did wonder, ‘Ishetoo nice?’ That obviously hasn’t been ap roblem.”