49ers second round pick Renardo Green turned out to be quite the cornerback, and looks like a building block moving forward
As early as Week 3, we wondered whether it was time for San Francisco 49ers rookie cornerback Renardo Green to take over for the struggling Isaac Yiadom. One of Nick Sorensen’s mishaps was rolling with the veteran over the first-year player.
It didn’t take long to realize that Green was the real deal—his first extended action game in Week 6 on a short week against the Seattle Seahawks. Green was targeted ten times, had more pass breakups and interceptions in that game than he allowed receptions, and put on a masterclass against a high-level passing attack.
Green finished with a stellar season for any player, let alone a rookie. Sports Info Solutions had Green tied for 12th among all defensive backs in pass breakups. Only three players ahead of him finished with a lower yards per target on that list. Best of all, throwing at Green was a coin flip. The rookie allowed 52 percent of the passes his way to be completed.
Where Green can grow in his second season is limiting the big play. It’s worth noting that some charting companies, like PFF, have been routinely wrong when attributing who was at fault in coverage. Still, they had Green allowing a reception of at least 20 yards in six games this season. If Green cuts that in half next season, the Niners have a budding star on their hands.
Above all, the 49ers selected a player in the second round who plays their style of ball. Green is competitive. He finished with more run stops than fellow rookie Malik Mustapha and had one fewer than Charvarius Ward, despite playing about 20 fewer snaps than Mooney.
Generally speaking, players’ biggest jumps are from Year 1 to Year 2. They’re acclimated to the NFL. Their bodies are adjusted to playing that extra month, and the entire offseason program prepares them for life in the NFL. Based on everything we saw from Green as a rookie, his floor is extremely high, and he should be a mainstay in the 49ers secondary for years to come.
But what about Green’s ceiling? Deommodore Lenoir is cemented as the nickel corner — and a damn good one at that. But if we expect Charvarius Ward to move on, do you sign a veteran to replace him and leave Green at CB2? Do you draft another cornerback early in the draft and hope to strike gold for the second year in a row?
Yiadom is not the answer. He wasn’t physical or assertive when tackling and was often on the wrong side of 50/50 passes down the field. There’s a free agent out there who we’ve discussed that makes too much sense, and he’s a player everybody in the building is all too familiar with.
D.J. Reed would make for a nice plug-and-play cornerback. He’s performed closer to a CB1 than a CB2. Not to mention, he’s coming from Robert Saleh’s scheme. Reed had one fewer pass breakup than Green last year. He allowed a 49 percent completion rate and had six tackles for loss.
Green played 383 of his perimeter snaps on the right side and 205 on the left. Reed played 665 of his 803 snaps on the right side. So, the Niners need to ensure Green is equally as confident and comfortable playing on the left side. If he is, they’d have one of the best trios at cornerback in the NFL once again.
Green was a remarkable pick whose career could very well play out like Reed’s. That is a compliment.