In the annual fan-favourite contest (stylised by the NFL as the Pro Bowl), the San Francisco 49ers, despite having a poor season, actually did quite well in terms of representation<\/p>\n
Four players are heading to the league’s annual all-star game as starters: edge rusher Nick Bosa, erstwhile fullback Kyle Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner.<\/p>\n
One huge name missing is cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, and he’s not happy about it.<\/p>\n
While he is an alternate (along with edge rusher Leonard Floyd, quarterback Brock Purdy and veteran offensive tackle Trent Williams), he’s missed out on a starting spot to four players: Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears, Byron Murphy of the Minnesota Vikings, Jaycee Horn of the Carolina Panthers and Devon Witherspoon of the 49ers’ divisional rival Seattle Seahawks.<\/p>\n
He’s made his feelings pretty clear on Twitter:<\/p>\n Don\u2019t ever let them tell you Draft status don\u2019t matter<\/p>\n \u2014 Deommodore lenoir (@Dmo_lenoir) January 2, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n He might have a point. Of the four selected ahead of him, none were drafted outside the first two rounds, whereas Lenoir was yet another fifth-round steal by general manager John Lynch and Co.<\/p>\n Statistically, there’s almost no comparison. Lenoir has, according to David Lombardi, given up zero touchdowns and a 72.6 passer rating when targetted, whereas his compatriots barely measure up:<\/p>\n Of course, it’s worth remembering two things: One, the Pro Bowl is as much a popularity contest as a reflection of actual footballing ability (witness Travis Kelce somehow getting named to a Pro Bowl at age 35 while playing one of his worst seasons), and two, Lenoir is likely to get the credit he deserves when the All-Pro teams are announced.<\/p>\n He may even get the chance to play in the Pro Bowl himself, should the Minnesota Vikings make the Super Bowl, which isn’t out of the realms of possibility.<\/p>\n It shouldn’t have come down to that, though.<\/p>\n Lenoir’s play has been excellent. After consistently being a bright spot in a bleak season for the team, he parlayed that into a huge, well-received contract extension at midseason, something that would’ve seemed a long way away when he was selected out of Oregon in the 2021 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n His consistency and penchant for making great plays — such as in primetime vs the Dallas Cowboys — have elevated him unquestionably to the role of the 49ers’ No. 1 cornerback, and he feels almost certain to hit similar heights again.<\/p>\n After the disappointment of this season, maybe having a top player who’s motivated by missing out on individual honours might not be such a bad thing.<\/p>\n Let’s hope he finds the same form next year but has to miss the game for slightly better reasons, such as his team playing in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n In the annual fan-favourite contest (stylised by the NFL as the Pro Bowl), the 49ers, despite having a poor season, actually did quite well. in terms of represe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23869,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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