One of the greatest defensive backs to ever play in the NFL offered some praise directed at a San Francisco 49ers rookie cornerback. Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, who spent one season with the Niners, winning a Super Bowl with the team, likes what he saw from former Oregon cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, one of three of San Francisco's fifth-round picks.
"Somebody call the police because that was AGGRAVATED ASSAULT," wrote Sanders, now the head coach of Jackson State, in response to a video posted from the 49ers' rookie minicamp practice yesterday (h/t to Alex Didion of NBC Sports). It shows Lenoir going against wide receiver Austin Watkins Jr. and intercepting fellow rookie Trey Lance.
Somebody call the police because that was AGGRAVATED ASSAULT https://t.co/aFr1KSCP4o
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 15, 2021
Lenoir responded with the following.
PrimeTime Appreciate you man I learned that Swag from watching you
— HER0 ZER0❄️ (@Dmo_lenoir) May 15, 2021
San Francisco made Lenoir the No. 172 overall pick. The cornerback registered 35 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble through six games as a senior in 2020, per Sports Reference.
"I just take the game as it is, a kill or be killed," Lenoir told reporters after being drafted. "Whenever you step on that field, you are either going to be a hyena, or you are going to be the prey. So in other words, I'm the hyena."
Lenoir recorded 158 tackles, four tackles for a loss, 21 passes defensed, six interceptions, and two forced fumbles through his four collegiate seasons.