Good impression in short audition
Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones is a Pro Bowler.
Niners cornerback Marcus Cromartie is related to Pro Bowlers.
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in 2011, leads the NFL in receptions and receiving yards this season and signed a five-year, $71.25 million contract extension in August.
Cromartie, who wasn’t drafted, hadn’t played a snap this season before Sunday and had earned $52,800 on the practice squad.
So what happened when Cromartie spent part of his Sunday covering Jones? Well, Cromartie was indeed bloodied, but not because he was beaten up by Jones.
Cromartie, 24, who made his first NFL start after he was promoted from the practice squad a day earlier, finished the 49ers’ 17-16 win with three stitches in his upper lip and the same swagger he possessed before kickoff.
“I wanted to set the tone,” Cromartie said. “I wanted to show the team that they could count on me.”
Cromartie arrived with an NFL resume that included three teams, four releases and three games, but he looked qualified for the job.
Lining up across from Jones on 15 pass plays, Cromartie allowed three catches for 33 yards on four targets, according to Pro Football Focus. Those were the only three catches Cromartie surrendered on 45 pass plays, and he received the scouting service’s highest coverage grade on the team. Jones did his typical damage — he had 10 catches and 137 yards — but it came against others.
So what got into Cromartie, listed at 6-foot, 195 pounds? Starting inside linebacker Michael Wilhoite, who shares Cromartie’s undrafted, practice-squad background, said Cromartie had the necessary fight to stand up to Jones (6-4, 220).
“He plays hungry, like he’s desperate,” Wilhoite said. “I always say when a man’s desperate, you never know what he’ll do, what he’ll go through to get to wherever he’s trying to go.”
Cromartie briefly had to go to the locker room to receive stitches after his helmet came off when he tackled running back Devonta Freeman in the second quarter. Midway through the first quarter, though, he had punished Freeman by dropping the NFL’s leading rusher for a 4-yard loss.
Cromartie punctuated that tackle by rolling his hands in circles — a nod to former NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper’s trademark touchdown celebration. In the third quarter, Cromartie celebrated a pass breakup by pretending to shoot a basketball into a hoop.
Cromartie, who wasn’t told he would start until he arrived at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday morning, clearly enjoyed his first big chance to prove himself.
“As an undrafted player, your opportunities are smaller than a first- or second-rounder,” he said. “You kind of have to get in where you fit in and make the most of the opportunity.”
Cromartie might be an unknown, but his last name is familiar. He is the cousin of two Pro Bowl cornerbacks who were first-round picks: Antonio Cromartie of the Jets and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of the Giants.
“It almost feels like I need to step up my game,” he said. “That’s why I want to play with a chip on my shoulder and have it be like: When you hear ‘Cromartie,’ let’s hear ‘Marcus’ and not so much ‘Antonio’ and ‘Dominique.’ It’s kind of playing with a little bit of an edge.”
Despite his impressive performance, it’s not clear how much longer Cromartie will be on the 53-man roster. His opportunity arose because three of the 49ers’ top four cornerbacks, including both starters, were sidelined by injuries.
It’s likely those cornerbacks will return after the bye week, when the 49ers visit Seattle on Nov. 22.
Whatever happens to Cromartie, he figures to stay hungry, desperate to get where he wants to go.
“As an undrafted player, your opportunities are smaller than a firstor second-rounder.” Marcus Cromartie, 49ers defensive back