PFF Names Renardo Green the 49ers' Top Breakout Candidate for 2025

One of the 49ers' most underrated players last season was cornerback Renardo Green.

He was a rookie, so he started only seven games and played just 63 percent of the defensive snaps. And yet, he still broke up 13 passes -- tied for 13th most in the entire NFL. Now, entering his second season he's a full-time starter who is expected to play 100 percent of the defensive snaps.

That's a big reason that Pro Football Focus has named Green the 49ers' top breakout candidate of 2025.

"Green took on a larger role in the latter half of his rookie season, filling in for Charvarius Ward most often, which he’ll now have to do on a permanent basis," writes PFF analyst Jonathon Macri. "Green earned a 74.3 coverage grade and posted a 15.7% forced incompletion rate – both of which were top-20 marks at the position.

"With no significant competition brought in this offseason to help alleviate the Ward loss on the outside, there is at least some perceived confidence that the 2024 second-rounder can continue his strong play on a full-time basis."

Macri is right on with his analysis. The 49ers love Green and expect him to take a big step forward this year under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.

But wide receiver Ricky Pearsall might be an even bigger breakout candidate than Green. Now that Deebo Samuel finally is off the team and Brandon Aiyuk is still recovering from knee surgery, the 49ers will need a wide receiver to step up. And in the final two games of last season, Pearsall caught 14 passes for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Both Pearsall and Green could have terrific seasons.