The San Francisco 49ers made it obvious how highly they think of Renardo Green when they selected him 64th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft a year before their two starting cornerbacks are due to hit unrestricted free agency.
Green's selection gave a clear indication that the 49ers view the former Florida State corner as a successor to one of Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, both of whom are poised to hit the open market.
But the 49ers don't just have the long term in mind when it comes to Green, their decision to try him at the nickel spot pointing to a desire to potentially get him on the field on defense as a rookie. Lenoir rotated between outside corner and the nickel spot last season, but Green making the latter his own would enable San Francisco's secondary to benefit from a more settled lineup.
Green primarily played outside corner during his college career, yet the 49ers have been clear they believe his blend of physicality and foot quickness could allow him to succeed on the inside.
But for defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks, the biggest challenge for Green as he aims to make a success of the transition has nothing to do with pass coverage.
“[Green] is playing outside right now and nickel for us," Bullocks told reporters last week.
"Nickel is one of the harder positions on our defense to play because when you’re playing inside, you have to understand the run fits. You got to listen to all the calls.
“The run fits can change, and you got to understand the front. You got to understand when you’re blitzing and not blitzing.
"You use different techniques than when you’re playing corner. On top of that, when you go outside you have different techniques. That’s asking a lot from a guy in his rookie year."
Renardo Green is a missile, but he's also got really good tackling technique.
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— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) May 1, 2024
The good news for the 49ers is that Green consistently proved himself to be an impressive run defender during his college career.
Indeed, Green's physicality in the run game shines through on tape. He was an excellent open-field tackler for Florida State and did a superb job of getting downhill quickly and then steadying himself to avoid missed tackles. Green has demonstrated an ability to wrap up ball-carriers, doing so by sliding down the legs if initially unable to do so when tackling around the hips.
And the 49ers will hope his awareness in keeping his eyes to the ball when playing both press and zone coverage translates to the run game and enables him to meet their requirements in terms of understanding the run fits from nickel.
In asking him to learn two positions, the 49ers are immediately putting a lot on Green's plate as a rookie. He should take that as a compliment as an indication that they think he can handle it. The onus is now on him to prove them right, and his play against the run will be a key factor in him doing so.
