Renardo Green wins battle with one of 49ers toughest players during first padded practice

If you needed an illustration of why the San Francisco 49ers think so highly of rookie Renardo Green, it came during Monday's first padded practice of training camp.

San Francisco has put a lot on the plate of Green , tasking him with playing both outside corner and nickel after taking him 64th overall in this year's draft.

The 49ers love Green's feisty attitude, the former Florida State defender an ideal fit for San Francisco in how he approaches both pass coverage and run defense .

His play in the former was exemplified in practice when he was matched up with Jauan Jennings. Jennings and Green had a running battle, which was documented in a video released by the Niners of the wide receiver being mic'd up for the session.

Jennings had his wins, which is no surprise given that the 2020 seventh-round pick, the would-be hero of Super Bowl 58, has long since established himself as one of the toughest players on the San Francisco roster.

The former Tennessee Volunteer is particularly strong at the catch point, but Green demonstrated his toughness in that area in a clear win for the rookie in their duel, elevating to break up a pass intended for Jennings at its highest point.

Green is not guaranteed to have a role on the 49ers' defense in 2024, especially with free agent signing Isaac Yiadom impressing early in camp.

Yiadom is Green's competition in camp, with the pair battling for a role in the 49ers' nickel defense, which is these days essentially their base. San Francisco will likely either ask Yiadom to play the outside on nickel downs and have starter Deommodore Lenoir kick inside as he did during the second half of last season, or employ Green as a full-time nickel, a position he did not play much in college.

Green got reps on the outside with the first-team defense on Monday with Charvarius Ward held out of practice, and his strong effort raises the possibility that the Niners could start the rookie on the outside in year one and make Lenoir a full-time nickel.

There's still a long way to go before the 49ers make their decision own which combination they want to go with, but plays like the one made on Monday will keep Green firmly in the mix.

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