For many NFL players, the preseason is a time when they need to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves during whatever game reps that come their way to prove they deserve to play on Sundays. On Saturday night, few if any 49ers players took better advantage of their opportunities than rookie cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
Lenoir, who joined the 49ers in the spring after being selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of the University of Oregon, was given a starting nod in Saturday night's 19-16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs while most 49ers veterans were being rested by head coach Kyle Shanahan. It was a big step forward for Lenoir, who went from being lost in his first days with the team back in the spring to getting the starting nod over a fellow rookie in third-round pick Ambry Thomas.
"I think it was about two days ago I found out," Lenoir said after the game, per 49ers communications. "I was excited actually just to get in there and be able to run with the ones. It's every kid's dream."
Lenoir made a splash in the first quarter when a pass from Chiefs quarterback Chad Henne bounced off the hands of tight end Noah Gray and into his arms for an interception. The play set up the 49ers at the Chiefs' 45-yard line and led to a field goal to give the 49ers a 9-7 lead.
Solid start for the rooks!@Dmo_lenoir 🙌#KCvsSF
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"It happened so fast, but I just want to thank the D-Line for getting there and just being able to cause the quarterback to make a bad decision," Lenoir said. "I've got to give it up to the D-Line."
Lenoir also showed some tight coverage as the game progressed while putting together an overall performance that will go a long way in eventually solidifying his spot on the 53-man roster. He fought through some early butterflies to do it after being a good distance from a starting spot throughout much of training camp.
"Yeah, it actually did cause a little bit of butterflies knowing that I was just second on every special teams," Lenoir said. "So that was my first snap, because it was just going to be straight defense, yeah I was kind of nervous."
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan liked what he saw from both of his rookie cornerbacks, which is a good thing considering how much they could be needed depth-wise as the season progresses. Each of them will get a lot more game reps before the preseason comes to a close, but Saturday's game was a good first step.
"I know they got a lot of man-to-man reps," Shanahan said. "I think they challenged them a bit, from what I saw and I know they got beat a couple of times, but I also saw them playing some tight coverage and not giving up. They got a lot of reps out there and never seemed to tire out. Well, I know they tired out, but they played their hardest and it'll be good to get that on tape and as much tape as you can get with those rookies, the better. And I think defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans put them in a lot of man situations, which is what we wanted to see. And now we'll grade the tape and see if we get better or worse from it."
Hopefully Saturday night's performance turns out to be the first of many highlights for Lenoir in his NFL career, but there's no doubt he'll remember his preseason debut for a long time -- especially after how far he had to come to get there after where he was back in May.
"Coming here feeling like a freshman all over again, and then to be able to make a big play in the game was actually, it was mind blowing," Lenoir said.
