Rookie cornerback Ambry Thomas has been a pleasant surprise for the 49ers, especially late in the season, growing through rookie struggles and becoming a serviceable starting corner this year, and perhaps for years to come.
Thomas's journey has been nothing short of challenging, as he lost 35 pounds in 2019 due to colon inflammation, prior to opting out of the 2020 NCAA season.
This year, after facing struggles at the catch point against the likes of JaMarr Chase and Russell Gage on the Bengals and Falcons, respectively, Thomas improved his ball skills rapidly, as he put together a string of good performances, which included a game-winning interception against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 that sent the 49ers to the playoffs.
Fellow cornerback Emmanuel Moseley had nothing but praise for the rookie, sharing how Thomas's confidence evolved as the season prolonged.
"His growth has been tremendous. It's just crazy to see a guy like that come in, and you could see that he wasn't as confident at first, but his confidence is there," Moseley said. "As you go on the field and play, he's guarding some of the best receivers in the league, he's coming down, making tackles. You can just see his confidence growing in practice, just the way that he communicates to us now. I'm very excited to see what he's going to do next year."
Defensive back Jimmie Ward agreed with Moseley, sharing how confidence emboldened Thomas into being a better player, while relating to his own experience as a rookie.
"He just had to find his confidence. That's about it," Ward said. "When you come into this league—I'm just trying to piggyback when I was a rookie in this league—you just go each game, you just see a guy who you've been playing with on Madden, on the video game, you've been hearing this and that guy, you've been watching him when [you were] a kid in college. You end up playing against these guys, guarding against these guys, competing against these guys, so he just had to realize that the moment is not too big for him. That this is the moment that he can separate himself from the rest of the rookies."
Ward noted that Thomas persevered to reach that stage of confidence, helping the game slow down for the rookie.
"I feel like he attacked [the big moment]. I feel like he eventually attacked it well," Ward added. "It took some time, but he figured it out. And I feel like that's one thing about it. A lot of rookies, you'll see them give up plays and all that, but at the end of the day, if they stay healthy, and they stay on the field, eventually, the game is going to slow down for them, and they're going to make plays."
Fred Warner was amazed by the rapid development of Thomas as well, sharing how far he's come since training camp.
"Ambry's story is incredible, in my eyes, because I remember that training camp," Warner shared. "He was kind of on the line of just wasn't quite getting it, and just made a complete 180, and just came around, and came up huge for us in the end here on this run. He had a huge contribution to this defense and this team."
Warner understood the circumstances, though. Thomas hadn't played football in a while, and was coming into a whole new challenge as a rookie. However, the traits to play the position were there.
"He hadn't played football in so long, and he's a rookie. He's young. Very young," Warner said. "It's just little things that you need a player to kind of catch on to. And you need to just come along to be able to finally give him meaningful play time and stuff. It just took him a little longer, and that's how it goes sometimes with guys. They drafted him because they knew his ability—a 4-3 corner with the size, length, instincts that he has, and it just took him a little time to figure it out."
Enough can't be stated about the impact Thomas has had, as the rookie filled in for Emmanuel Moseley after his ankle injury, before taking over alongside him in must-win games.
"I feel like he is one of the biggest reasons for why we made it to this point," Warner added. "The fact that he did what he did is incredible, and I've got a lot of respect for Ambry and the way that he battled because that's not easy, to come out from where he was, and to grow, and become the player that he was for us."
Thomas will have the chance to compete for a starting spot next season, and it won't be surprising if he earns it, given his confidence and the endorsement of his teammates.