Renardo Green believes he can play any position in the secondary

If the San Francisco 49ers selected a defensive back in the 2024 NFL Draft who has experience playing multiple positions. The more you can do, the easier it is to put you on the field.

During his post-draft press conference, Renardo Green said, “I can persaonlly play all three positions in the secondary, no matter if that’s at corner, nickel, or back at safety. I can do it all. So really, just wherever the team needs me, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Green played 651 snaps at Florida State during the 2023 season. According to PFF, he lined up more along the defensive line (17), yes, defensive line, than in the slot (15). He had 29 snaps in the box, five at free safety, and 584 at outside cornerback.

Gren, a fifth-year senior, played multiple roles throughout in Seminole career. He continued: “For two years I played in the slot position. That was in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. And at FSU, at one point, we had a joker package where we’d go three high safeties and then one of the safeties would drop and become a nickel and that was me. We ran it in 2020, so I got some experience playing in that slot, actually.”

Go back to 2021, and the majority of Green’s snaps came at free safety (96), followed by slot corner (61). He had zero snaps playing wide at cornerback. One year prior, 118 of Green’s 230 snaps were played in the slot, with 58 coming at free safety and only two on the outside at cornerback. So, he’s well-versed in several spots.

If Deommodore Lenoir has a down season, the 49ers could play Green inside for the future and add a cornerback next offseason to play on the outside in the event that Isaac Yiadom, Darrell Luter, or Rock Ya-Sin don’t work out. Conversely, if Green shows enough promise outside, the Niners are set with him and Mooney Ward moving forward.

Green is as “safe” as a prospect in the second round gets. He’s also battle-tested, as general manager John Lynch alluded to on the Pat McAfee show Thursday:

“We saw two of those players at LSU, Nabers and Brian Thomas go in the first round. And it’s really awesome when you get a chance to see guys go up against the best college football has to offer. And you can tell he’s a guy that welcomes that type of challenge. And he certainly did on that day. Held his own, and he held his own all year.”

Green followed Nabers for the majority of the game. He allowed two receptions for 20 yards on five targets, and only six of those came after the catch. Green caught an interception after Nabers slipped and also broke up another pass. It was the game that put Green on the map.