Rising star cornerback Deommodore Lenoir bailed out the 49ers' defense with his superb play in the slot during the 2023 NFL season. However, the 24-year-old shockingly spent nearly the entire duration of San Francisco's Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs lined up on the outside, a tactical error that could have been the difference in the game's outcome.
During an appearance on "The Richard Sherman Podcast," Lenoir detailed how he approached former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks after a detailed film study in an attempt to ensure he was put in the best position possible to help the 49ers capture the Vince Lombardi Trophy that has eluded the franchise since the mid-90s.
"I talked to [Steve] Wilks before the game and I was just telling them how I was feeling," Lenoir told Sherman. "Me, I watch a lot of film, so I was just seeing where the ball was going. And I was like, 'It's mainly between the hashes, it's going to the slots.' They don't really got no dominant outside guy, so I was telling them I feel like I should be in the slot this game."
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Wilks did not heed Lenoir's advice and San Francisco's secondary struggled to contain Kansas City's passing attack over the middle of the field in the heartbreaking defeat. Lenoir revealed it was the only instance he ever had offered any kind of schematic suggestion of the sort, and despite Wilks not implementing his proposed strategy, the 24-year-old cornerback still was determined to follow whatever instruction he recieved from San Francisco's coaching staff.
"I'd never question a coach, never question decisions or nothing," Lenoir said. "That was the only time I came to them and I said that. They have [their] philosophy and what they felt worked, what was going to work and they made that decision. I was like alright 'I'm going to just roll with it, and I'm going to try to do what I can to help us win."
Despite a fantastic all-around performance from Lenoir, the 49ers came up just short, with the final dagger coming on a play where Chiefs slot receiver Mecole Hardman sprung free for the game-winning touchdown in overtime -- among the many plays Lenoir potentially could have made a difference in had he been lined up inside.
Lenoir recorded at least 30 snaps as a slot cornerback in each of San Francisco's five previous games before the Super Bowl, including 35 and 36 respectively in the 49ers' NFC playoff wins over the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, per Pro Football Focus.
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In Super Bowl LVIII, only two of Lenoir's 78 defensive snaps came on the inside.
Wilks was fired less than a week after the crushing Super Bowl loss, raising valid questions about how much his defensive game plan on the biggest stage factored into San Francisco's decision to cut ties with the veteran coach after just one season.
Earlier this week Lenoir expressed his frustration with the 49ers' defense's inability to finish games under Wilks.
"I feel like it's just us finishing," Lenoir said after Monday's training-camp practice. "I feel like it was games that ... I mean we didn't start out fast but we didn't finish strong. The games that we lost, I feel like if we just finish in the fourth [quarter], keep our foot on people's necks, we'd be Super Bowl champions."
However, the young cornerback is confident new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen and assistant head coach Brandon Staley can correct the issues that left San Francisco just short of a championship six months ago.
"Oh yeah, for sure," Lenoir said. "They're always on us about the little things and just the small details."
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