The San Francisco 49ers have drafted 19 players over the past two years, including eight in 2024. That group of players made an immediate impact last season. Rookie right guard Dominick Puni played 100% of offensive snaps, safety Malik Mustapha impressed in the secondary, running back Isaac Guerendo stepped up amid injuries, and first-round pick Ricky Pearsall showed flashes down the stretch.
Another under-the-radar rookie contributor was cornerback Renardo Green, who earned a 69.2 defensive grade and 74.3 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus—the highest among all 49ers defensive backs last season.
ESPN's Ben Solak recently named Green to his list of the 20 most important second-year NFL defenders. After all, San Francisco will rely on emerging young talent like Green to help offset significant veteran departures during this offseason's roster overhaul.
"With Charvarius Ward leaving in free agency for Indianapolis, Green has become the primary outside corner," Solak wrote. "But it appears long-time slot man Deommodore Lenoir will spend a significant portion of his snaps outside this season, so perhaps Green will remain CB2 functionally. Suffice to say, Green is in for a leap in responsibility, as Ward leaves behind big shoes to fill in San Francisco's defense.
"Among the rookie corners last season, Green made the most plays on the ball. His 19.7% hawk rate led the class; his 5.7 yards per target allowed was beaten by only Cam Hart and Cooper DeJean. Forget rookies -- among all corners with at least 200 coverage snaps last season, Green was 15th in yards per target allowed and eighth in hawk rate."
The 49ers selected Green in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, their highest cornerback selection since choosing Mike Rumph in the first round in 2002.
"Green made so many plays on the ball because he is preposterously quick," Solak continued. "When he clicks, he eats up space with astonishing acceleration, and he regularly condenses windows that quarterbacks thought were inaccessible for a flat-footed zone corner. This nifty little route concept from the Lions gets Green in a bad position in the end zone. Watch him hit the turbo button to explode into the catch point on what Jared Goff thought would be a fairly open window. That's 0-to-60 right there in a big, big way."
— Good Clips (@MeshSitWheel) August 5, 2025
Green enters 2025 with increased responsibility and high expectations as he looks to cement himself as a key piece of the 49ers' revamped defense.