Isaac Yiadom is the San Francisco 49ers' 2024 X-factor that hardly anybody is talking about
Despite heading into free agency without a lot of room for manuever in terms of cap space, the San Francisco 49ers made several notable moves. The signing of edge rusher Leonard Floyd was the headline maker, while the Niners also traded for Maliek Collins to fill the void left by the decision to part with […]
Despite heading into free agency without a lot of room for manuever in terms of cap space, the San Francisco 49ers made several notable moves. The signing of edge rusher Leonard Floyd was the headline maker, while the Niners also traded for Maliek Collins to fill the void left by the decision to part with defensive tackle Arik Armstead.
But there's a strong case to be made that their most important move of the offseason, putting the draft to one side, was to sign cornerback Isaac Yiadom to a one-year deal.
Yiadom's signing was the kind of second wave of free agency move that easily flies under the radar, but it's one that could have an outsized impact on the fortunes of the 49er defense in 2024.
San Francisco already has its top two starters at cornerback firmly in place, with Charvarius Ward coming off a second-team All-Pro campaign and Deommodore Lenoir continuing his ascension in versatile role.
His lone season with the New Orleans Saints saw Yiadom perform at the level of a high-end starter. He only registered one interception but had 14 pass breakups while rarely giving up separation in single coverage.
Per Judah Fortgang, Yiadom had a single coverage snap rate of nearly 70 percent but prevented separation 75 percent of the time.
His prowess in that regard saw Yiadom give up a completion percentage of just 38.5, tied for the fourth-best among cornerbacks with at least 25 targets. Yiadom was ninth by yards per attempt allowed (5.1) and finished 13th by positive play rate allowed (35.9%), per Sports Info Solutions.
Yiadom doesn't possess elite movement skills in terms of his fluidity and quickness, but he plays with aggression befitting the style of defense the 49ers play. On top of that, he gives them another option if they pivot to playing more press-man in 2024, a distinct possibility with Brandon Staley having an influence on the defense as the assistant head coach.
Indeed, Yiadom excels in press, consistently landing early jams on receivers to disrupt them and using his hands to stay in phase with his wideout.
Possessing impressive awareness, Yiadom excels at finding the ball in the air early and is extremely competitive at the catch point.
Even with all those attributes and his outstanding numbers from last season, Yiadom's hopes for large amounts of playing time this year are likely to be contingent on Lenoir's role.
Down the stretch and for most of the playoffs last season, Lenoir switched between playing outside corner on base downs and in the slot on nickel downs, and he did so with great success.
However, the 49ers appear to have lost faith in the man who filled the void on the outside when Lenoir moved to the slot, Ambry Thomas, with the signings of Yiadom and Rock Ya-Sin indicating a loss of patience with the 2021 third-round pick following his disappointing performances in the postseason.
If the 49ers do elect to continue using Lenoir in a multi-faceted manner, Yiadom will be the heavy favorite to play the outside on nickel downs.
Yet the progress of one the 49ers' rookies could alter their plans.
San Francisco selected Florida State cornerback Renardo Green in the second round and immediately put a lot on his plate.
The 49ers asked Green to take reps at outside corner and, somewhat surprisingly, in the slot in OTAs and minicamp, believing he has the movement skills to play the latter position despite rarely doing so in college.
And the results, to this point, have seemingly been impressive, with Green drawing praise for the way in which he has adapted to the challenge of operating at two of the most difficult positions in the game at the highest level.
Should he continue to thrive when the pads go on at training camp, Green could well become the leading candidate to start in the slot in year one, keeping Lenoir on the outside and potentially restricting Yiadom to a full-time backup role.
If that does prove to be the case, Yiadom's signing still will not have been a superfluous one. Over the years, one of the most common critiques of the 49er secondary, and specifically San Francisco's cornerback group, has concerned a lack of depth.
That is no longer and an issue and, if one of Ward, Lenoir or Green was to go down, the 49ers would have a starter-level player ready to fill the void.
As such, Yiadom is a two-fold X-factor for the 49ers. His presence could allow the 49ers to continue to make the most of the versatility of one of their best young defenders in Lenoir. If Green makes the grade, the former Denver Bronco will at least be able to serve as the safety net they have long since lacked, one who can ensure an injury does not create a huge hole in the secondary.
Yiadom's acquisition attracted next to no attention outside of San Francisco, but there's a strong chance it may be looked back on as an essential move for a team with perennial championship ambitions that has previously seen its secondary heavily criticized.
The 49ers hopes of even making it to last season's Super Bowl almost fell apart in the postseason because of the struggles of Thomas. With Yiadom in the mix, there is an air of solidity about the secondary that may ultimately be decisive in the 49ers achieving their ultimate goal.
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