How the 49ers Will Use Renardo Green

I imagine Green will start out as a cornerback for the 49ers, but I believe his best position will prove to be in the slot.

Mar 1, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida State defensive back Renardo Green (DB11) works out / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It's unclear how the 49ers plan to use second-round pick Renardo Green.

Green played cornerback the past two seasons at Florida State, but that doesn't mean he'll be a cornerback in the NFL. The 49ers love drafting players and changing their positions.

After the 49ers drafted Green in Round 2, he was asked how the team plans to use him.

"We talked here and there about it," Green said. "I can personally 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.”

When Green says he can play all three positions, that's not just a projection -- it's something he did at Florida State.

“For two years I played in the slot position," Green said. "That was in the 2020 and 2021 season. 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.”

I imagine Green will start out as a cornerback for the 49ers, but I believe his best position will prove to be in the slot. He doesn't have the size or the speed to be a shutdown cornerback on the outside, but he's built like Jimmie Ward, who was an excellent nickelback and safety for the 49ers for years.

Green might not play much his rookie season, because Kyle Shanahan doesn't play rookies unless he has to. But by 2025, don't be surprised if Green is the 49ers' starting nickelback.