The San Francisco 49ers selected Florida State cornerback Renardo Green with the No. 64 pick in Friday’s second round of the NFL Draft. The selection came after the 49ers traded down one spot with the Kansas City Chiefs, adding a fifth-round pick in the deal while parting with a sixth-rounder.
Green stood out last season with an ACC-best 14 pass breakups and he allowed just one pass play of 20 or more yards — a 22-yarder versus Syracuse. Green has a background as a safety but stood out more as an outside cornerback, which is considered his most natural position.
Pick No. 64 is the earliest the 49ers have taken a cornerback since selecting Mike Rumph in the first round (No. 27) in 2002.
NFL Draft 2024 tracker: Live blog, pick-by-pick grades and analysis
Big board best available: Who’s left from Dane Brugler’s Top 300?
Draft pick grades: Nick Baumgardner, Scott Dochterman rate Rounds 2-3
Full draft order: Team picks for all 257 selections
“The Athletic Football Show”: Watch live reaction to the draft
‘The Beast’ breakdown
Green ranked No. 133 in Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
A two-year starter at Florida State, Green was a perimeter cornerback in defensive coordinator Adam Fuller’s balanced-coverage scheme. After playing safety for two seasons, he returned to his more natural cornerback position in 2022 and then tied for the ACC lead in passes defended (14) as a super senior in 2023 — his play in the opener against LSU’s receivers created buzz among NFL scouts. Green is wired right for the position and clamps down in coverage with his awareness and physicality, which consistently allows him to compete for throwing lanes. However, he tends to get overaggressive with his contact at the top of routes (lacks top-tier athletic traits for easy recoveries) and is inconsistent turning to find the football. Overall, Green is a polarizing prospect among NFL teams, because he doesn’t have desired size, speed or ball-tracking skills and won’t be a fit for every scheme. But his play personality and ability to quickly find his balance mid-coverage helps him stay connected and will give him a chance to earn a meaningful role in an NFL secondary.
Nick Baumgardner grades the pick
A five-year player at Florida State who appeared in more than 50 college games, Green is a competitive press corner who plays with great length and physicality both in coverage and against the run. He’s small, however, and might have issues with stronger receivers on the outside or in the box. The tackle board sort of wiped out here, so I don’t mind going cornerback. I do think there were better CB options, though, as Green has one interception in those 52 games and got flagged too often for my taste.
Grade: C+
(Photo: David Jensen / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
