Deommodore Lenoir Doesn't Hold Back About Guarding Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Former Oregon Ducks cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and the San Francisco 49ers have a massive NFC West showdown against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, Jan. 3. Lenoir is not backing down from the matchup with Seahawks star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Lenoir Ready For Challenge With Smith-Njigba

Oregon Ducks Deommodore Lenoir San Francisco 49ers Jaxon Smith-Njigba Seattle Seahawks Ohio State Buckeyes NFL Playoffs West — Dec 28, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) warms up before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The 12-4 49ers and 13-3 Seahawks will face off at Levi’s Stadium for the NFC West division championship and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. This will be the second meeting between these two. Their Week 1 game in Seattle came down to the wire, with the 49ers winning 17-13.

Lenoir spoke to reporters in the locker room this week about the game and Smith-Njigba.

“Hopefully I get to shadow JSN. I’m ready for this. I hope he’s ready,” Lenoir said. “Man to man coverage. Me and him. That’s what I want.”

#49ers CB Deommodore Lenoir says he wants to shadow #Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba this week 👀

“I’m ready for this, I hope he’s ready..Man to Man coverage, me and him. That’s what I want.” pic.twitter.com/o6aUGfE7X1
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) December 30, 2025

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been the arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL this season. The former Ohio State Buckeye has a league leading 1,709 receiving yards on 113 receptions. He has also hauled in 10 touchdowns. It will be a tall task for Lenoir and the 49ers defense to slow him down.

Lenoir’s Oregon Playing Days

Lenoir played his college football for the Oregon Ducks from 2017-2020 before being selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the 49ers.

At Oregon, Lenoir had 159 combined tackles, 21 passes defended, seven interceptions, four tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.

Lenoir and Smith-Njigba never faced off against each other in college for the one season they were both there together in 2020. Originally, Oregon was scheduled to play Ohio State at Autzen Stadium during the 2020 season before the game was canceled due to the global pandemic, but it would have put the senior defensive back Lenoir against the freshman Smith-Njigba.

Smith-Njigba played at Ohio State from 2020-2022, but mostly saw the field only in 2021. For his college career, he had 110 receptions for 1,698 yards and 10 touchdowns. Smith-Njigba was selected No. 20 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Seahawks.

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No. 1 Seed on the Line

The 49ers and Seahawks Week 18 game is the biggest game in the NFL to this point in the season. With the winner getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC, it would mean they would get a first round bye and not have to play in the Wild Card round. Furthermore, the No. 1 seed would get to host every game up until the Super Bowl if they were to make it that far.

The loser of this game will still make the playoffs, but as a Wild Card. They would have to go on the road in the first round of the playoffs and likely do so the rest of their playoff run. The stakes don’t get much higher for a regular season football game.