Renardo Green's standout traits make him an excellent heir apparent in the 49ers' secondary

In 2025, the San Francisco 49ers will likely have to face up to several difficult realities with their loaded roster.

The likelihood of the 49ers having to make Brock Purdy one of the highest-paid players in NFL history will see San Francisco forced to move on from some key players at other spots, including at the cornerback position, where both All-Pro Charvarius Ward and ascending starter Deommodore Lenoir are scheduled to be free agents next offseason.

San Francisco's odds of hanging on to both appear slim. Lenoir doesn't turn 25 until October and, with his coverage ability and inside-out versatility, he figures to be able to command a lucrative contract on the open market with another strong season. Thankfully, though, the 49ers have found an heir apparent to whichever of their top corners departs in 2025.

The 49ers selected Renardo Green in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, giving them a corner with some standout traits that put him in an excellent position to excel as a successor to Ward or Lenoir.

Dog mentality

Playing on the 49er defense is as much about mentality as it is about skill set.

Green's mentality should be obvious to anyone who watches his tape, but he quickly and repeatedly reminded the Niners of his mindset immediately after they made the decision to draft him.

Said general manager John Lynch after the second day of the draft.

"He's got a heck of a mentality, Renardo. I mean, that's the thing we really loved about him. 186 pounds, but he wants to hit you. And everyone correlates, I think interceptions to ball production. We look at it, PBUs, and he had 13 PBUs, one of the tops in the nation last year, had one interception, one forced fumble, really good tackler, plays a tough physical game. He told us 15 times when we called him, you got a dog, you got a dog. And that's exactly what we thought when we drafted him. He can play man-to-man, he'll get up, challenge receivers, has done it against some really top level players and fired up to have him as well."

The 49ers' seventh-round pick, Tatum Bethune, played with Green at Florida State. He added: “Renardo Green is a dog. He actually is the one who I, sometimes I feed off his energy and sometimes he feed off mine. So, it’s a great feeling to have one of my old teammates back as my teammate again.”

Green's dog mentality is one that will see him fight right in with a fast and aggressive 49er defense, and it's arguably most evident in his run defense. 

Born to (defend the) run

Extremely determined in run support, Green consistently flies downhill to deliver punishing hits.

What is most impressive about his play in this area, however, is the technique he displays in setting a tone. Too many secondary defenders fly downhill with reckless abandon and miss tackles as a result.