Let's take a shot for the homie Trey Lance.
Let's also take a look at our Cornerbacks
Cornerbacks
Charvarius Ward - Former Kansas City Chief. Ward in a starring role has become on of the NFL's most underrated corners. He has the speed to keep up with the fastest receivers and while he has some trouble with bigger stronger NFL receivers, he is as reliable in coverage as anyone. In fact he 18th in the league in terms of targets among all CBs who started at least 13 games. Not quite Revis Island but it showed how much opposing offenses respected him. One knock on his game, I would like to see some of those deflections become interceptions. It is one part of his game he can stand to improve on. But aside from that he is a very good starting corner.
Performance: B+
Potential: B +
Overall: B+
Ambry Thomas - Former 3rd round draft pick Ambry Thomas has had some ups and downs since being drafted in 2021 but he has had a good camp and solid preseason and is in contention for the CB2 job this year. Ambry played quite a bit his rookie season but fell a little out of favor last year but seems poised for a great year. Expect big things especially under new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
Performance: B-
Potential: B+
Overall: B
Deommodore Lenoir - 2021 5th round draft pick. Lenoire is another draft steal. Lenoir is solid in coverage but he is also a very good tackler in run support as well as an underrated blitzer. I expect for him to play even more aggressively under Steve Wilks and making some splash plays. Last year 79 tackles last year, a sack and INT. Not bad
Performance: B
Potential: B
Overall: B
Samuel Womack III - 2022 4th rounder. Womack had an uneven rookie campaign but seems to be in contention for the CB2 job. Of all the corners on the team, I believe he has the softest hands on the team as he was snatching balls left and right in the preseason last year and has had a strong training camp this year. This is due to him having experience at both receiver and slot corner. He was also a special teams ace as a rookie. Look for him to have a bigger role this year. While he is undersized, he plays bigger than his 5'10 195lb frame and he has high level speed and short area quickness.
Performance: B
Potential: B
Overall: B
Darell Luter Jr - 2023 5th round draft pick from Southern Alabama. Luter is at his heart a zone coverage corner. He has a tendency to be a little stiff but that can be coached out. What you can't coach is his natural instincts. He has great tracking ability and his above average speed can keep up with most corners. He was injured in camp but there have been rumblings that he impressed the coaches in practice and his willingness to learn the nuances of the defenses. He could be another draft steal and he could find himself not only on special teams but perhaps in some sub packages as he learns and gains experience.
Performance: B-
Potential: B
Overall: B
Isaiah Oliver - Former Atlanta Falcons 2nd rounder. Oliver has not lived up to his draft status thus far and he has had a difficult preseason. There is as much a chance that he gets cut as there is making the team primarily as a special teamer and sub corner. If he does make the team it will be to spell one of the above corners who will likely have increased roles this year.
Performance: C
Potential: C
Overall: C
D'Shawn Jamison - 2023 UDFA. Jamison is a dark horse candidate to make the 53 man roster if for nothing else to protect him from getting poached off a practice squad. He is talented in coverage and has the explosive athleticism of the block teams covet. He just needs to work on his tackling technique and he can have a bright future as a potential Nickel corner in the NFL even at a smallish 5'9 185. He could also make his bones as a return man.
Performance: C-
Potential: C+
Overall C
Quantrezz Knight - UDFA with a big personality. Quantrezz Knight is already a fan favorite amongst the locals. Projecting as a nickel/slot corner. Knight will probably be put on the practice squad which is no real indictment of him just that the talent is high and there may not be enough room for him.
Performance: C
Potential: C+
Overall: C
AJ Parker - 2021 UDFA from Kansas State. AJ Parker is a developmental prospect who will likely be on this team's or anothers practice squad. He has good instincts but he is not a good tackler and needs to continue to develop that skills as such he wouldn't even be an ideal contributor on a special teams unit yet.
Performance: D
Potential: D
Overall: D
Nate Brooks - Camp body will likely be cut over the next few days. Already at 26 has fairly little upside.
Performance: D-
Potential: D
Overall: D-
Unit Analysis:
For a long time cornerback has been a weakness of the team even in the Harbaugh years where the talent had been average. Now while not quite as good as the linebackers and defensive line, there is a lot of young talent in this group with most of the players being only 23 or 24 this season. So there is still room to grow. But given that most of these players were picked in the 3rd round or later they can kept together for cheap with Ward under contract another 3 years if I am not mistaken. This group is great in coverage and solid in run support they just need to catch a few more INTs as a group and if that can happen in 2023 this will be an elite unit for years to come.
Unit Grade: B
