Niners Nation
The 49ers’ secondary is set to be led by Deommodore Lenoir in 2025, but his exact role for the coming season is uncertain after the NFL Draft.
The 49ers left no doubt that they see Deommodore Lenoir as an integral part of their future on the defensive side of the ball when they signed him to a five-year, $88.88 million extension in November. However, following the NFL Draft, there is a pressing question surrounding a player who can now be viewed as the leader of the San Francisco secondary.
Lenoir was a bright spot in a hugely disappointing 2024 as he took another big step forward, establishing himself as one of the league’s premier cornerbacks in a year in which he was unfortunate not to be named to the Pro Bowl.
The 2021 fifth-round pick allowed just 5.6 yards per target and ranked 11th among all corners in passer rating allowed (71.4), both numbers representing the best of his career. That surge by Lenoir was tied to him taking on a role that involved playing in the slot full-time on nickel downs – having done so for much of the 49ers’ run to the Super Bowl in the 2023 season.
Last season, Lenoir played 565 snaps in the slot compared to 187 as an outside corner and 167 in the box, per Pro Football Focus. That was a marked change from 2023 when, across the regular season and the playoffs, he played 648 snaps as an outside corner and 418 snaps in the slot.
And Lenoir thrived in his first full season as primarily an inside corner, ranking third among all corners in passer rating allowed (69.7) when in slot coverage, per Pro Football Focus. Seventeen cornerbacks were targeted at least 50 times when in slot coverage in 2024, Lenoir was one just three not to give up a touchdown.
His performances last year suggest Lenoir is best off staying in the slot, yet the way in which the 49ers attacked the cornerback position in the draft indicated they could move him back to the outside.
San Francisco used the 100th overall pick in the third round on Western Kentucky corner Upton Stout, who lined up in several different spots in college but, at 5ft 9in and 182 pounds, will likely be limited to the slot at the highest level.
Asked about whether that selection means Lenoir will move outside, head coach Kyle Shanahan told a press conference after the second day of the draft:
“Possibly. I mean, we’re going to still play it out. I think [DB Deommodore Lenoir] DMo is great inside, I think he’s great outside. We probably see Upton definitely as an inside player. So, that was a big need. The way it fell, especially in the draft, but DMo can do either, but I think it’s easier for a guy when he can stay at one spot. So, we will work that through OTAs and training camp and see how it ends up.”
Lenoir’s...
