In the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers selected Renardo Green from the Florida State University with the 64th-overall pick.
“The defense is built off dogs and I fit in good,” Green said after being drafted. “It’s just an amazing feeling to come out there. I watch that defense and the way they play and knowing that I can be a part of that, I can come in and help contribute, it just means a lot to me.”
Keep reading to learn more about San Francisco’s newest cornerback.
Green stated playing football when he was five years-old. Ever since then, he’s played every position – offense and defense.
“In high school, I played quarterback, receiver, safety and corner. In little league, I played receiver, quarterback, running back, linebacker, safety and corner. I’ve always been a football player. It’s what I do.”
He also shared that his diverse background in football has helped him excel as a cornerback.
“It gives me different perspectives to see the field and it helps me with my instincts and reads. I trigger fast and process everything faster because I have more experience and knowledge than a lot of other people.”
Green played his entire collegiate career at Florida State University. From 2019-23, Green played in a total of 52 games and recorded 143 tackles (6.5 for loss for 15 yards), 22 passes defended, an interception and a forced fumble.
During the 2022 season, he earned an All-ACC honorable mention and was named FSU’s most improved defensive player. The following season, Green notched 13 pass breakups, which led the ACC and ranked 10th in all of college football. From his performance, Green was awarded a Phil Steele All-American honorable mention, was a Thorpe Award semifinalist, earned the Don Powell Award and was named to the All-ACC second-team.
Leading into the 2024 NFL Draft, Green received a cornerback superlative from Pro Football Focus draft analyst Trevor Sikkema.
With all of the draft-eligible cornerbacks in consideration, Green was given the “best in man coverage” recognition. In his final season at FSU, Green received a 90.0 PFF grade, allowing only a 56.3 passer rating in man coverage.
2024 NFL Draft Cornerback Superlatives♨️ pic.twitter.com/2xhB1A4ISY
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 1, 2024
“Green was one of the top-graded players in man coverage this past season, earning a 90.0 mark in such situations,” Sikkema wrote. “That is his style. He likes to get up in press at the line of scrimmage, stare at the receiver and mirror their movements to close down throwing windows. He and teammate Jarrian Jones earned elite coverage grades in those man coverage situations. He recorded 11 forced incompletions and two interceptions in man coverage this past season. Green has decent height and length, measuring in at just under 6-foot with 31 1/4-inch arms, to continue doing that at the NFL level.”
At the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Green ran the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds, along with a 37.5-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10 feet, 10 inches.
In Green’s combine report, NFL analyst Lance Zierlein shared that the cornerback has “elite body control that allows him to phase double moves and route breaks.”
Green will link up with a familiar face on the 49ers defense. In the 2024 NFL Draft, San Francisco also selected Green’s teammate in the seventh round, linebacker Tatum Bethune. Green and Bethune played together for two seasons while at Florida State.
“Renardo Green is a dog,” Bethune shared after being drafted. “I feed off his energy and sometimes he feeds off mine. It’s a great feeling to have one of my old teammates back as my teammate again.”
