49ers CB room has to prove itself in 2023

The 49ers CB group could be really good. For now it ranks as one of the league’s worst via an ESPN projection:

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It hasn’t been a secret that under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch the 49ers would prioritize their defensive line to build out a strong defense. The results have been tough to argue with, but a lack of long-term investments at cornerback have left them with an unproven group going into 2023. A projection from ESPN’s Mike Clay ranks the 49ers CBs 24th in the NFL.

While the ranking is low, there’s some potentially good news for San Francisco. They’re not sitting in the bottom 10 because of a lack of talent. They’re sitting there because this group hasn’t gotten a chance to carve out any kind of real production in the NFL.

Charvarius Ward was very good last season and still spearheads the 49ers CB group. He’s the only proven commodity.

Deommodore Lenoir figures to start opposite Ward. He was stellar in the postseason after an up-and-down showing in the regular season. In the playoffs, he allowed zero touchdowns and a passer rating of just 21.8 on 13 targets while hauling in two interceptions. The ceiling for Lenoir, a 2021 fifth-round pick, is still high. He just needs to pick up in 2023 where he left off in the postseason.

The nickel corner job belongs to former Falcons CB Isaiah Oliver. He’s been much better in the slot than he was as an outside CB, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. A full year of Oliver as a slot corner should help him build on some already positive steps. His continued emergence as a legitimate starting nickel CB would be a significant boost to the 49ers’ secondary.

Samuel Womack and Ambry Thomas round out Clay’s depth chart. They’re both fascinating for different reasons. Womack earned the starting nickel job as a rookie last season, but lost it after two games. He’ll be aiming to get back in the mix there if Oliver struggles. Thomas is just trying to carve out a role in the defense after failing last year to back up the strong finish to his rookie campaign in 2021. He’s a high-variance player who could either win a starting job or lose a roster spot.

The other CB not listed is fifth-round pick Darrell Luter Jr. He’s an unknown commodity in the NFL, but it would improve the 49ers’ CB group dramatically if he can compete for snaps in his first season.

For now, San Francisco’s cornerbacks are one of the 10 worst units in the league on paper. There’s clearly talent there though given the stretches we’ve seen from the likes of Lenoir, Oliver, Womack and Thomas. They just need to go prove the stretches can turn into consistent play. If they do that, the 49ers will easily outperform this pre-season rank.

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