Examining the fit: Ambry Thomas, Deommodore Lenoir and Talanoa Hufanga

By Scooter_McG

The 49ers secondary was one of the great redemption stories for the 49ers in 2019. The secondary was historically bad in 2018, with the team making history for the fewest takeaways ever in a season with just two INTs (both by safeties) and five fumble recoveries. Injuries played a large part in the team’s woes at the back, as did a moribund pass rush. It was widely expected the team would completely revamp the secondary after such a dismal showing in 2018, but the 49ers surprised most by sticking by their much maligned defensive backs in 2019. The main change in the secondary was replacing defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley with former Broncos DC Joe Woods. And with better health and the additions of Bosa and Ford up front the 49ers secondary repaid that faith beyond the team’s wildest hopes, as the 49ers led the league defensively in terms of passing yards allowed, passing yards allowed per attempt, first down completions and completions of 20+ yards allowed. And only the Bills allowed fewer completions of 40+ yards.

After the 2019 season, Joe Woods was hired by the Browns to be their DC, and he was replaced by Tony Oden. The 49ers once again returned a mostly the same unit in 2020, but sadly the 2020 season brought a rash of injuries throughout the 49ers roster, including the star DE duo of Bosa and Ford, as well as key players in the secondary such as Richard Sherman and Jaquiski Tartt. Despite these significant losses, while the 49ers secondary and pass coverage was not quite as stellar as in 2019, the unit continued to be a bright spot for the team. The 49ers ranked fourth in the league in passing yards allowed, passing yards allowed per attempt and first down completions, and sixth in completions allowed of more than 20+ yards.

After the season the 49ers faced significant uncertainty in the secondary, with almost the entire starting unit entering free agency (with only Ward under contract) and many of their depth players too. Robert Saleh and Tony Oden both departed as well, to be replaced by DeMeco Ryans and Cory Undlin, respectively. With COVID-19 impacting on the salary cap it appeared unlikely the 49ers would be able to retain many of their players. However, in the end the only notable player from the secondary the team lost in free agency was Ahkello Witherspoon (to the Seahawks, of course), though Richard Sherman (who missed most of last season) and backup slot CB Jamar Taylor (who tore his ACL in the second half of the season) both remain unsigned. The 49ers were also able to add safety Tavon Wilson for depth and competition.

While the team was able to retain more of their own secondary players than many people had originally expected (including the 49ers themselves), issues in terms of depth in the secondary remained, in particular at CB where the main backup to the starting trio of Verrett, Moseley and Williams was Dontae Johnson (or the “human boomerang”, as razor appropriately called him!). Many of the veteran players in the secondary are also on 1-year deals or the last year of their deal, increasing the importance of adding some longer term solutions to the roster.

Given the depth and contract situations, it was widely expected the 49ers would look to add depth to the secondary, and many experts and fans believed the 49ers would take a CB with either their second or third pick. It came as no surprise then when the team selected two cornerbacks, Ambry Thomas in the third with the compensatory pick for losing Robert Saleh, and Deommodore Lenoir in the fifth round, as well as safety Talanoa Hufanga in the fifth. What did come as a mild surprise, however, was the team chose an OG and a RB before selecting a CB.

According to John Lynch, Thomas was a player that gained steam with the 49ers throughout the pre-draft process, championed by assistant general manager Adam Peters. Thomas was Michigan’s top CB as a junior in 2019, after spending his first two seasons in a reserve and special teams role. In 2019 he primarily played outside CB, though in 2017 and 2018 he also played some slot CB. After the 2019 season Thomas was receiving some buzz as a potential top 45 player, however, Thomas opted out of the 2020 season which likely hurt both his development (with only 1-year starting experience in college) as well as his draft stock.

QBs did not fare well when they targeted Ambry Thomas in college. Thomas allowed a passer rating of just 46.4 throughout his college career, and allowed just a 49% completion percentage on 41 targets in 2019, with three INTs and 7 pass breakups. Thomas participated in the Senior Bowl and despite his year out he impressed. 

Athletically, Ambry Thomas has the tools to excel on the outside at CB. He has the desired height and length for the boundary at around 6’0” tall with 32.25” arms. While a little skinny, he weighed in at a respectable 191lbs at his pro day. And he impressed in athletic testing with a 4.37s 40 time, 38” vertical and 10’2” broad jump, as well as 15 reps on the bench.

Importantly, he plays up to his testing numbers. He has little issue running in stride with receivers down field and he shows good burst out of his pedal to close quickly on the ball as well as smooth hips to turn and run quickly without losing speed or position. He is also a feisty corner that will consistently scrap with the receiver to disrupt their route and the catch point. And he has the strength and length to effectively press and bump receivers near the line of scrimmage. Thomas particularly impressed in man coverage in college, though his zone coverage abilities have been questioned, in particular with regards to his spatial understanding and eye discipline.

One of Thomas’ most impressive attributes, and one that John Lynch highlighted after the team selected Thomas, is his ball skills and calmness with the ball in the air. Thomas will routinely get his head around to locate the ball in the air, and he doesn’t panic “at the moment of truth” as Lynch put it. As a result Thomas had a lot of success breaking up passes as well as a number of takeaways.

In addition to his work at CB, Thomas also played a lot of STs for Michigan, including as a kick returner and coverage unit player. He will no doubt be asked to play STs in some capacity for the 49ers and his willingness and experience in this area will hold him in good stead. 

For the 49ers, Thomas should immediately step into a role as the backup CB on the perimeter, barring the addition of another boundary CB before the season (of note, the team is reported to be in discussions with Richard Sherman regarding a return to the fold in 2021). He may also see time as a kick returner and on STs coverage units, and potentially at punt returner; after he was drafted Thomas was asked if he could also handle punt return duties, which he noted he has never done before but would be willing to try. However, returning punts is a far more difficult skill to master than returning kicks and we will need to wait and see whether the 49ers run that risk. Moving forward, Thomas will be expected to make one of the starting CB positions his own, and he may replace Verrett as the starter as soon as 2022. 

In the fifth round the 49ers added a second CB, selecting Deommodore Lenoir (or “Demo”). In the press conference after the selection John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan indicated Demo offers inside/ outside versatility, which is what he did in college also. Some scouting reports suggest a move to safety may better suit his skillset too. In many respects, Lenoir’s draft profile is similar to former 49ers DB DJ Reed, and that may be exactly the type of player the 49ers see in Lenoir.

Lenoir is another scrappy defender that is more than happy to get physical with the receiver. And like Thomas, QBs did not fare well when targeting Lenoir. Over four years Lenoir compiled 6 INTs and 21 passes defensed. And in 2020 he allowed a passer rating of just 57.8 with just one TD on 24 targets, as well as 1 INT.

However, unlike Thomas, Lenoir is only an average athlete. Lenoir is on the shorter side but well built at around 5’10” and 200lbs. He ran his 40 time in the high 4.4s and his 3-cone (7.02s) and broad jump (10’1”) were respectable but unspectacular, while his 4.35s shuttle and 34.5” vertical were below average.

While he is not a great athlete, Demo makes up for it with his physicality. He will use his hands and body to re-route receivers and disrupt their routes and timing, as well as deliver the hit at the catch point. He is unafraid of throwing his body into tackles, laying big hits, and comes up quickly in run support. Importantly, he is also an effective tackler that rarely misses.

Lenoir is best with the play in front of him rather than with his back to the ball, where he can use his physicality and force at the catch point and in run support to full effect. When asked to put his back to the ball he can be guilty of getting too grabby and panicking which will result in penalties. This is accentuated by Lenoir’s average athleticism as receivers can separate if Lenoir is unable to disrupt their routes. As a result Lenoir will be best served primarily playing in zone coverage, and it may be that safety ends up being his best role in the future.   

For the 49ers in 2021, Lenoir will likely be the backup slot CB behind Williams, taking over the role DJ Reed provided prior to last season. Moving forward, should he prove himself capable he may take over from Williams as the starting slot CB. 

With their third pick in the fifth round the 49ers added depth at safety, selecting USC defender Talanoa Hufanga. While the team already had a five NFL calibre safeties on the roster (Ward, Tartt, Moore, Wilson and Harris), only Ward is signed beyond 2021 so longer term depth was needed. 

Hufanga, who checks in at around 6'0" and 200lbs, was an enforcer and playmaker for the Trojans. Hufanga plays with great instincts and intelligence, combined with controlled violence and ferocity that belies his humble personality. His intelligence and instincts are displayed in the variety of roles he was asked to play and his consistent ability to find his way to the ball. At USC he lined him up in a number of different roles including box safety, split safety, single high safety, linebacker and slot CB. And no matter the role, Hufanga had a knack for making plays. In 24 career games for USC, Hufanga registered 203 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 4 INTs, 8 pass breakups and 4 forced fumbles.  

While Hufanga has below average speed (4.61s 40 time), he is a good athlete that played multiple positions in high school including QB, RB, WR and in the secondary, as well as playing basketball. He plays with great urgency and has excellent short area quickness and explosiveness as evidenced by his 6.87s 3-cone and 10'8" broad jump. This explosiveness and short area quickness serves him well closer to the line of scrimmage where he can come up quickly to stop the run and close down passing lanes in the short to intermediate area. 

Hufanga hits hard while also showcasing sound technique to complete the tackle. He lit up a number of ball carriers and receivers during his time at USC. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan described him as having a LB attitude which acknowledges the violence with which he plays. He is also a very good pass rusher from the safety and slot positions, showing excellent timing and technique to pressure and sack the QB.

He also has goods hands and coordination to make plays on the ball, and in 2020 went four straight games with an INT, including some acrobatic catches. 

Importantly, Hufanga is also known as a great locker room presence, both as a leader and teammate. He also fully understands that to make the team he will need to excel on special teams, and when interviewed after being drafted Hufanga outlined his desire to be a Pro Bowler as a rookie playing STs. 

The main concerns with Hufanga relate to his lack of speed, which will likely prevent him from playing deep safety on any regular basis in the NFL and may require more of a permanent switch to box safety or even LB, as well as a lengthy injury history. He has broken his collarbone twice and sprained his shoulder that required surgery. 

In 2021, Hufanga will move into a bit of a logjam at safety which may make it difficult to see much game time on defense. However, someone with his IQ and knack for making plays may surprise and quickly win the favour of coaches and move up the depth chart. Either way, expect Hufanga to be a core STs player on the coverage units where he can showcase his aggressive tackling to its fullest. Moving forward, Hufanga's best fit may be as S/LB hybrid and backup safety that can make plays when called upon, similar to Harris.