The San Francisco 49ers added some cornerback help with their fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, selecting cornerback Samuel Womack out of the University of Toledo.
Womack didn't receive much notice coming out of East English Village Prep High School in Detroit, but he put together a career at Toledo that made pro teams pay plenty of attention. Here's a rundown on what to know about Womack, what to expect from him with the 49ers, and what connection he has on the current roster.
Walk-on to the pros
Womack was a preferred walk-on at Toledo, but it didn't take long for that status to change. His performance made coaches send a scholarship offer his way early in his career, and he responded by becoming the school record holder in pass breakups (39).
Womack was a fine high school player, earning All-State honors while catching 20 touchdown passes with 11 interceptions as a senior. But he didn't get too involved in the recruiting process, which he says didn't help when it came to getting noticed.
"Out of high school I for sure should have offers, but I played a role in that too because I was playing basketball too," Womack said after being selected by the 49ers. "So I didn't really know which sport I wanted to do. I chose late and didn't really go to camps and get that exposure like kids do nowadays. So that was on me, but my tape was good. A lot of colleges for sure missed out on a dawg."
Learning from a former NFL veteran
Once he got to Toledo, Womack had the opportunity to learn from former Rockets cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat, who played with five NFL teams over ten seasons. There's no doubt Poteat played a role in Womack's success during his five-year college career.
"Coach Poteat played 10 years in the NFL, so I kind of call him a cheat code of how to get to the NFL," Womack said in 2019, per the Toledo Blade. "He knows what it takes. He's been there and played 10 seasons. He was a star at Pitt and when he coaches he uses what he did in the league and in college and he tries to relate that to us. If you listen to him with open arms and buy in to what he's saying then good things will happen."
A friend and rival
Womack has a friend on the 49ers in second-year cornerback Ambry Thomas, even though they've butted heads on the football field before. Thomas played at a rival school, Detroit Martin Luther King, but he and Womack remained friends away from the field.
"I don't like his school, but me and him have a great relationship," Womack said. "That's my man, that's my brother. Me and him worked out a couple times and chopped it up a couple times, so I'm familiar with him. We played them at least twice a year, whether it's the playoffs or regular season. They got the best of us, but I feel like in our matchup, me versus him, I got the best of him."
Speedy slot defender?
Womack stands in at 5-10, 187 and turned in pro day marks of 4.39 seconds in the 40, 36 inches in the vertical jump, and 6.87 seconds in the 3-cone drill. He says he can play inside or outside but the 49ers seem to be viewing him mostly as an inside player.
"We talked about playing a majority inside as well as special teams," Womack said. "But I have the versatility to play outside and we talked about that also."
He knew it was the 49ers
Womack was viewed by some as a possible undrafted player, but the 49ers liked him enough to grab him in Round 5. When they called his number, Womack quickly knew he would be heading to the Bay Area.
"It just was so surreal, really couldn't believe it when I got that call," Womack said. "I knew the area code, so I knew the team it was coming from when I got the call. It was just so surreal. Then once I saw my name on my board, seeing my family right up right with me it was an amazing moment that I can't take away."