In 2025, the San Francisco 49ers will likely have to face up to several difficult realities with their loaded roster.
The likelihood of the 49ers having to make Brock Purdy one of the highest-paid players in NFL history will see San Francisco forced to move on from some key players at other spots, including at the cornerback position, where both All-Pro Charvarius Ward and ascending starter Deommodore Lenoir are scheduled to be free agents next offseason.
San Francisco's odds of hanging on to both appear slim. Lenoir doesn't turn 25 until October and, with his coverage ability and inside-out versatility, he figures to be able to command a lucrative contract on the open market with another strong season. Thankfully, though, the 49ers have found an heir apparent to whichever of their top corners departs in 2025.
The 49ers selected Renardo Green in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, giving them a corner with some standout traits that put him in an excellent position to excel as a successor to Ward or Lenoir.
Playing on the 49er defense is as much about mentality as it is about skill set.
Green's mentality should be obvious to anyone who watches his tape, but he quickly and repeatedly reminded the Niners of his mindset immediately after they made the decision to draft him.
Said general manager John Lynch after the second day of the draft.
"He's got a heck of a mentality, Renardo. I mean, that's the thing we really loved about him. 186 pounds, but he wants to hit you. And everyone correlates, I think interceptions to ball production. We look at it, PBUs, and he had 13 PBUs, one of the tops in the nation last year, had one interception, one forced fumble, really good tackler, plays a tough physical game. He told us 15 times when we called him, you got a dog, you got a dog. And that's exactly what we thought when we drafted him. He can play man-to-man, he'll get up, challenge receivers, has done it against some really top level players and fired up to have him as well."
The 49ers' seventh-round pick, Tatum Bethune, played with Green at Florida State. He added: “Renardo Green is a dog. He actually is the one who I, sometimes I feed off his energy and sometimes he feed off mine. So, it’s a great feeling to have one of my old teammates back as my teammate again.”
Green's dog mentality is one that will see him fight right in with a fast and aggressive 49er defense, and it's arguably most evident in his run defense.
Extremely determined in run support, Green consistently flies downhill to deliver punishing hits.
What is most impressive about his play in this area, however, is the technique he displays in setting a tone. Too many secondary defenders fly downhill with reckless abandon and miss tackles as a result.
Renardo Green is a missile, but he's also got really good tackling technique.
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) May 1, 2024
He closes in a hurry but chops his feet to square himself and then delivers a massive hit.
Too many guys just fly in uncontrolled and miss. This is really encouraging. pic.twitter.com/7BTclcOpym
Green has the awareness of the need to steady himself and square defenders up to greatly improve the odds of him making the tackle. Whether he's coming from depth to make a play at the line of scrimmage or bringing down a ball-carriers in the open field, Green succeeds in wrapping up consistently.
The 49ers demand that their corners tackle and commit to run defense. All his tape from Florida State indicates Green will embrace the physical challenge of run defense at the highest level while consistently presenting receivers with a physical challenge when defending the pass.
Green is an ultra-aggressive man coverage defender who uses his hands extremely well to stay in phase with receivers and disrupt them throughout the route. Though he sometimes strays over the line with his physicality, the results speak for themselves, with Green's 10 forced incompletions in man coverage tied for the most among corners in the 2024 draft class, per Pro Football Focus.
Renardo Green had some struggles against Miami, but there's a lot to like about this extremely physical rep.
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) April 30, 2024
Uses the sideline as an extra defender, gets his eyes to the ball very early and is able to disrupt at the catch point and create a (tough) chance for a turnover. pic.twitter.com/PyioVanNGY
His hyper aggression in man coverage and his prowess as a tackler are the qualities that jump off the screen when watching Green, but they are complemented by a range of other positive aspects to his game.
Green plays with good eyes to the ball regardless of whether he is challenging a receiver in press or playing zone, and he gets impressive drive on the ball from depth.
Feel like Renardo Green can, sometimes, get caught a little flat-footed. Still, he has good mirror-match skills, a fluid hip turn and consistently disrupts receivers throughout the route.
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) April 29, 2024
He gets the reward here as Nabers falls down. Easy pick. pic.twitter.com/HDQ5gp7EBo
He displays patient footwork and doesn't rush into turning his hips. However, he has the foot quickness to mirror receivers and the fluidity to flip his hips quickly and stay in tight coverage, with those athletic gifts likely a factor in the 49ers' belief he could play in the slot at the next level despite rarely doing so in college.
Though his stop-start quickness is good rather than great and his light 186-pound frame presents issues for him at the catch point, Green is a corner who plays with the physicality, awareness and the mindset to blossom into an integral part of the 49ers secondary, offering the scheme versatility that Ward and Lenoir both possess and, potentially, the same positional flexibility as the latter.
The draft is an exercise in projecting future needs as well as addressing current issues. You didn't need to look very far to see a looming problem at cornerback for the Niners, but Green's arrival should greatly ease the concern.
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