As Isaac Yiadom prepares for his first 49ers season, the veteran cornerback is making the most out of joining such an elite defense.
As Yiadom spoke to reporters after Friday’s training camp practice, he was asked what appealed to him most about signing with San Francisco.
“It’s a winning team, it’s a winning franchise and it’s a great franchise,” Yiadom said. “You don’t really decline an offer to play for a team like this. I know they have such a great defense, [so to] come in here and play a main role in this type of defense with all these great players like [Nick Bosa, Fred Warner], I couldn’t pass it up.”
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"It's a winning team. A winning franchise."
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Yiadom explains why he couldn't pass up an opportunity to play for the 49ers pic.twitter.com/qmMeMfmqXs
With mainstay cornerback Charvarius Ward returning, Yiadom will look to fill out San Francisco’s strong secondary, and he expects to learn a lot from the seventh-year NFL veteran.
“I’m watching a lot of [film on] Mooney [Ward],” Yiadom explained. “When I go back and watch games from last year, I try to watch him. What stands out to me with him is he took the ball away. When they threw him the ball, he caught it. He was in great position all the time, he’s taking advantage of the defense, and it worked out for him, so I’m trying to follow in his footsteps.”
Isaac Yiadom is trying to follow in Mooney Ward's footsteps in his first 49ers season 🤝 pic.twitter.com/TOgJqgDGaF
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) August 2, 2024
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The 28-year-old played with five different franchises in his first six NFL seasons, and he's expected to be an immediate impact player for new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen. He emerged as a legitimate defensive stopper in tight coverage situations for the New Orleans Saints last season, allowing just 22 receptions on 44 targets.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, a big Yiadom supporter, is impressed with the jump the cornerback has made this offseason.
“We were a big fan of Isaac coming out of college, back at Boston College,” Shanahan told reporters. “Watched him throughout his career in Denver, played against him, watching him in New Orleans last year -- [seeing] him get in that starting role that he played at his highest level. We felt he was playing his best football last year, and since we've gotten him, I feel even stronger about that.
"He had a hell of an OTAs, and so far, he's having a hell of a camp.”
Yiadom adds another piece to San Francisco’s versatile defense as the team looks to get over the hump and win a Super Bowl title after many narrow playoff defeats over the past five seasons.