The San Francisco 49ers may well be happy to continue rotating Deommodore Lenoir between outside corner and the slot in 2024, but their activity ahead of the draft suggests that might not be the long-term plan at inside corner.
San Francisco, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic, is set to hold a top-30 visit with Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips.
Phillips was tabbed by Barrows as the 49ers' third-round pick in his latest mock draft, with his strong performance at the Senior Bowl identified as a reason why San Francisco may be interested in picking him on day two.
One of the highlights of Phillips' week in Mobile was a rep in which he was able to shut down Georgia's star receiver Ladd McConkey with physical coverage.
That aggressiveness is a key feature of Phillips' game. While he does not possess great arm length, Phillips uses his hands extremely well to disrupt receivers throughout the route and at the catch point.
The intriguing thing with Phillips is that physicality is far from the only string to his bow. He is a fluid athlete who stays low and smooth in his backpedal and has impressive stop-start quickness. Phillips does an excellent job of transitioning out of his pedal to drive on the ball and has the closing speed to take away separation quickly when playing in off coverage and in zone, playing the latter with good eyes to the football and strong route recognition that help keep him in the right spot to affect the throw.
Phillips played inside and out at Kentucky. Per Pro Football Focus, in 2023 Phillips took 223 snaps in the slot and 426 as an outside corner.
Though that versatility will appeal greatly to San Francisco, Phillips' home at the next level figures to be on the inside. With his combination of athletic traits that enable him to stay in tight coverage with shiftier receivers and physicality that may allow him to also thrive defending the 'power slots' and tight ends that have increasingly made the slot their domain, Phillips theoretically has a skill set ideally suited to the role of nickel corner in the modern NFL.
Inexperience is an issue for Phillips, who started only 16 games with Kentucky, as is a lack of on-ball production. While he had 10 pass breakups across his final two seasons, Phillips did not have a college interception.
The 49ers will love that Phillips' physical play extends to run defense. He attacks downhill and shows great aggression in taking on blocks. However, his lack of technique in wrapping up defenders is something that may give them pause.
But Phillips' inconsistencies both as a run defender and in coverage could be ironed out with exposure to the right coaching and the right environment at the highest level.
Playing behind Charvarius Ward, Lenoir and new free agent signing Isaac Yiadom, Phillips might not get the experience he needs as a rookie, but he would be able to develop in a zone-based coverage scheme for which he appears excellently suited. A pressure-free year in which to learn the system could be perfect for Phillips to get him ready for 2025, a year in which Ward, Lenoir and Yiadom are all scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency.
The 49ers need impact players for now in their quest to finally get over the hump and lift the Lombardi Trophy again, but they also need to plan for the future. The invitation of Phillips to a top-30 visit suggests they see him as a corner with the ability to be a huge part of their secondary in the years to come.
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