Underrated Isaiah Oliver will emerge as key contributor for 49ers in 2023
The 49ers' signing of Isaiah Oliver in free agency generated little fanfare, but their new slot cornerback's arrival was one of underrated importance. Oliver is the favorite to fill the role vacated by Jimmie Ward, the former 49ers safety who stepped in at nickel last season after Emmanuel Moseley's knee injury forced Deommodore Lenoir to […]
The 49ers' signing of Isaiah Oliver in free agency generated little fanfare, but their new slot cornerback's arrival was one of underrated importance.
Oliver is the favorite to fill the role vacated by Jimmie Ward, the former 49ers safety who stepped in at nickel last season after Emmanuel Moseley's knee injury forced Deommodore Lenoir to switch the outside.
Lenoir made the starting role on the outside his own, meaning the pressure will be on Oliver to replicate the stellar level of play Ward produced from the slot.
While Oliver has not lived up to his status as a second-round pick of the Falcons in the 2018 draft, he possesses a skill set that suits what the 49ers are looking for in the defensive backfield and has displayed promise to suggest he should thrive as the starting nickel.
At 6ft and 210 pounds, Oliver boasts an ideal frame to handle the contrasting challenges modern day slot corners face. His size minimizes the advantages tight ends who play the slot have over him, and he can use his frame to his advantage when defending smaller receivers, something he has done consistently so far in his pro career.
Oliver has arm length in the 96th percentile for corners, and he uses it impressively to disrupt both the bigger power slots that have proliferated around the league and the smaller shiftier receivers and impact the timing of their routes. Additionally, he utilizes his length to make plays at the catch point.
After missing most of the 2021 season with a knee injury, Oliver displayed his proficiency for preventing completions across 12 games in 2022. He had seven pass breakups, his most since 2019 (11), and recorded an interception against the 49ers.
According to Pro Football Focus, he registered a forced incompletion on 16 percent of his targets. Among Falcons defenders, that was second only to A.J. Terrell (21).
Oliver did not allow a single touchdown across his 143 coverage snaps in the slot. Per PFF, has passer rating allowed of 81.1 on those snaps put him 12th out of 47 defenders with at least 100 coverage snaps in the slot.
In Oliver, the 49ers are not just getting a physical slot defender who has excelled at forcing incompletions, they are also getting a defender who loves to attack downhill against the run and as a blitzer.
As is the case when he breaks on the ball when in coverage, Oliver is extremely efficient in getting downhill to provide run support and defend against the screen game. Last season, he had three tackles for loss and a sack.
The 49er defense has long since thrived on the art of disguise. With Steve Wilks, regarded as an aggressive defensive coordinator, taking over from DeMeco Ryans, it would be no surprise to see him regularly use Oliver as a blitzer.
That possibility is heightened by the aptitude San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner has displayed dropping into coverage and defending from the slot.
Wilks indicated as much during his opening press conference back in May, saying:
"At times, do I want to be a little bit more aggressive with the talent and athleticism that we have at linebacker? Yes. I’m referring to exactly the question they just talked about in regards to probably blitzing a little bit more."
Of Oliver, Wilks added:
"Oliver is someone that I had the opportunity to go against being in that division and we didn’t know exactly what was going to happen in free agency with [Houston Texans DB] Jimmie [Ward] and when that didn’t happen, we wanted to make sure that we sort of got the best nickel in free agency and that’s what we went out and did, so I’m excited about Oliver. He’s long, he’s physical, can tackle, can cover, he’s going to be a good blitzer for us, everything that we do within this defense.”
Wilks and the 49ers clearly believe Oliver can be a versatile impact player for the defense. The key for him is staying on the field. He has not started a full season since a 2019 campaign that stands as his high point in terms of on-ball production.
But he will get the chance to with the 49ers in 2023, and his signing is one for which the 49ers will receive significant plaudits if he succeeds in turning those flashes of promise into a full campaign of sustained performance and production.
George Kittle still the NFL’s most explosive tight end
His skill set is unique.
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