The 2021 NFL Draft was expected by many to be a transformational one for the San Francisco 49ers given the opportunity they had at the quarterback position.

It did not play out as many anticipated as Trey Lance lasted just two seasons with the team before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys, but several contributors emerged from that draft class for San Francisco.

Fifth-round safety Talanoa Hufanga was a first-team All-Pro in 2022, but it has become clear in recent times that Deommodore Lenoir, taken eight picks earlier in the same round, stands as the best find for the 49ers from that draft.

Lenoir has provided San Francisco with a cornerback who can play inside and out, having done so at an extremely high level in 2023 and across the first nine games of this season. He produces consistently tight coverage, plays with great awareness and ball skills, and fits the run exceptionally well.

The former Oregon corner was rewarded for his development on Tuesday, the 49ers signing him to a five-year, $92 million extension, per multiple reports.

That deal is just reward for a player who has emerged as one of the most important defensive players for the 49ers, and it also makes Lenoir the first and potentially only member of the 2021 draft to receive a second contract.

San Francisco got out ahead of the problem of having its top two corners bound for free agency by extending Lenoir early. Charvarius Ward is an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and the 49ers may now let him walk.

It is difficult to envision the 49ers having much motivation to re-sign any other of the remaining members of the draft class in an offseason in which they will likely make Brock Purdy one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in football.

Second-round pick Aaron Banks is a dependable starter at guard, but the 49ers do not prioritize that position in terms of handing out big contracts. Spencer Burford could step in at left guard in the event of Banks leaving and the drop-off would likely not be a stark one.

Third-round corner Ambry Thomas remains on injured reserve. His rollercoaster time with the team will almost certainly come to an end this offseason. Elijah Mitchell was a star as a rookie sixth-round pick, but injuries have kept him on the sideline and it's tough to see Mitchell being retained with the talents the 49ers have in the backfield behind Christian McCaffrey.

Fifth-round swing tackle Jaylon Moore might have a decent chance of sticking around with the high esteem in which the 49ers hold him. Still, with Colton McKivitz at best an average starter on the right side and future Hall of Famer Trent Williams approaching his late 30s on the left, it would be no surprise to see the Niners plan to address tackle in the draft and deem Moore surplus to requirements beforehand.

The biggest question surrounds Hufanga, whose surge to stardom has been checked by the ACL injury he suffered last season and a wrist injury that has kept him out for most of this year. Ji'Ayir Brown and rookie Malik Mustapha appear locked in as the long-term starters at safety and, with the other priorities they have, devoting financial resources to a likely backup who has struggled with injuries may not be something the 49ers are willing to do.

Unless the 49ers can develop a specific plan for how to use Hufanga's undoubted talents while keeping Brown and Mustapha as the starters that compels them to re-sign him, a free agency departure seems the probable outcome for him.

Lenoir is the first member of the 49ers' 2021 draft to get a second contract. Assessing the future of the rest of the class, it's clear he could also be the last.

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