Now in his fourth NFL season, 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir has blossomed into an impactful piece of San Francisco’s defense. 

Even though he’s now closer to a veteran than a rookie, Lenoir recently recalled an interaction from earlier this season that was particularly impactful as the versatile defensive back continues to establish himself league-wide.

After San Francisco’s Week 2 game in Minnesota, Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore — a two-time All-Pro — approached Lenoir to give props to his young peer. Lenoir recalled the interaction on the 49ers Webzone “No Huddle” podcast.

“[Gilmore] gave me high praise and tell me he’d been watching me,” Lenoir shared Tuesday with hosts Al Sacco and Brian Renick. “So, that was a moment for me where I was like, ‘Oh, wow, it’s starting to come alive.’

“He was the Defensive Player of the Year [in 2019] and one of the top corners in the league, so if he’s noticing game, everybody else got to be noticing because really good players in the league only respect good players.”

During the latter part of the 2010s, Gilmore was widely heralded as the NFL’s top cornerback. He was a key member of the Super Bowl LIII-winning New England Patriots and had a league-best six interceptions on his way to winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year the next season.

Lenoir still has a long way to go to reach Gilmore’s status, but the young Oregon product certainly isn’t on a bad path.

“For [Gilmore] to come up — he didn’t have to do that,” Lenoir continued. “That’s just much respect to him.”

Not only does Lenoir play alongside one of the league’s top cornerbacks in Charvarius Ward, but the 49ers also are set to play against several other top talents at the position during the remainder of this season.

So, the 24-year-old will have plenty more opportunities to impress his peers in 2024.

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