Ward identifies key feature that highlights Lenoir’s continued rise

Ward identifies key feature that highlights Lenoir’s continued rise originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area

SAINT CLARA — Charvarius District merited Second-team All-Pro honors after a stellar campaign during the 2023 NFL season, but the veteran cornerback believes another member of the 49ers’ defensive backfield is poised to make a similar leap.

Deommodore Lenoir has become an invaluable piece of San Francisco’s defense, playing considerable snaps at cornerback in addition to a substantial workload on the outside the past two seasons.

Between the two cornerback positions, where exactly is Lenoir poised to have the most success? No matter, according to Ward, who shared the utmost belief in Lenoir’s ability to dominate regardless of his position on the field.

“I feel like he [Lenoir] could it be [an] All-Pro or Pro Bowler at both positions, in my opinion,” Ward said after Friday Training Camp Workout.

After roaming the 49ers’ defensive backfield together for two seasons, Ward singled out Lenoir’s confidence as the area in which he grew the most during their overlapping stints in San Francisco.

“His confidence, his technique,” ​​Ward said. “He’s getting that belief from the coaches now. They can play him inside or outside and he’ll shoot from anywhere. So I think that confidence is right.”

It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle when you play the same defense as before NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and perennial All-Pro Fred Warner, but there’s a strong argument that Lenoir was as valuable as any player on the 49ers’ 2023 defense.

Lenoir played more than 1,000 snaps at cornerback last season, splitting his time between the slot (418 snaps) and outside row (648 snaps) for Focus on professional footballgiving San Francisco’s defensive backfield crucial stability when it might otherwise have fallen apart without his ability to seamlessly connect where it was needed most.

That kind of adaptability is impressive in any season, but especially after the 2022 campaign, where Lenoir established himself as the NFL’s starting cornerback while playing more than 80 percent of his snaps lined up on the outside.

It would be understandable if a player in Lenoir’s position took a step back and had to adapt to the difficult task of juggling two critical roles at the same time. Instead, Lenoir did the opposite and continued his rise to the point where he received All-Pro praise from one of the The most respected cornerbacks in the NFL.

Being able to step into a completely different role at any time without missing a beat is something normally reserved for elite players – and right now, Lenoir has rightly earned that designation.

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