A 5-foot-10 cornerback named Hyena hunts down a huge payday from the 49ers

It was a rookie mistake, but it cost the youngster’s head coach a whopping $50,000.

The lapse came in 2021, about a week after the 49ers drafted cornerback Deommodore Lenoir in the fifth round. He posted a video highlight from his rookie minicamp to social media. The clip showed Lenoir outmuscling a wide receiver on his way to a pick in one-on-one drills. The problem: The NFL doesn’t allow for contact in press coverage during offseason workouts.

So the league fined the 49ers $100,000 and Shanahan $50,000. And up until this week, when Lenoir signed a five-year extension with the 49ers reportedly worth about $92 million, that screw-up would be the first memory that crossed Shanahan’s mind whenever someone associated his feisty cornerback with big money.

“That was the first time I ever got mad at him, but I was really excited about it — despite what it took away: my kid’s college tuition,” Shanahan joked Wednesday, referring to his son Carter. “Because it showed we had the right type of dude.”

The 49ers wanted a gritty defensive back; one agile enough to cover in space but strong enough to win with physical combat near the line of scrimmage. They certainly didn’t want Lenoir to broadcast his illegal practice technique to the world, but they were thrilled that he indeed embodied the rough-and-tumble profile they were looking for.

Over the four seasons since, the 49ers have watched Lenoir live up to the nickname he assigned himself as a high schooler in central Los Angeles: Hyena.

“It’s hilarious,” former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, Lenoir’s mentor who grew up in nearby Compton, said last year. “Because if you just think about life, nobody ever picks the hyena. But it makes sense because … there’s no job too dirty. … Whatever it takes, the hyena’s eating.”

And now, Lenoir has scavenged his way to a big-money deal.

“When my agent called me and told me the contract was done, I burst out into tears,” Lenoir said Wednesday. “I finally was able to change my family’s life for generations.”

Lenoir’s production has matched his new level of pay. He’s allowed a passer rating of only 65 into his coverage this season, the sixth-lowest number of all NFL cornerbacks, and he’s delivered exemplary run support from a difficult spot for a 5-10, 200-pound player. Roughly a third of Lenoir’s snaps have come at slot cornerback, a position that comes in much more frequent contact with 300-pound offensive linemen, in the 49ers’ nickel package.

“What he has been able to do playing in the slot and outside so seamlessly is very special,” Sherman said via text message Wednesday. “He is an incredible competitor and deserves it.”

Said Lenoir of Sherman, a cornerback who’ll undoubtedly reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame: “He paved the way for guys like me in my area. He was one of the first to do it. So to see him get a big contract, it was motivation to me that I can do the same.”

The struggles came primarily in Lenoir’s first season. Early in 2021, he lapsed in coverage against Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers — a mistake that cost the 49ers a Week 3 game in the final seconds.

“He lost his confidence a little bit after that,” Shanahan said. “He was just down making a big mistake and really never got it back that year. But [the next offseason,] he was a different guy right away. And ever since that rookie year, he has been a stud for us every year.”

The 49ers’ defensive backfield is now better and deeper than it’s ever been under Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. Lenoir is officially a long-term cornerstone, while the 49ers have high hopes for rookie Renardo Green, who recently cracked the three-man rotation at the top of the defense’s cornerback room.

The unit’s leader, of course, is veteran Charvarius Ward, who’s on bereavement leave following the death of his 1-year-old daughter Amani Joy. Ward made sure to call and congratulate Lenoir, his understudy for the past three seasons, Tuesday night.

“I can’t wait to have him back so we can get this thing on the road and get a [Super] Bowl,” Lenoir said of Ward.

Until that return comes, the 49ers are confident with Lenoir as their secondary’s centerpiece. The team’s belief is reflected in this sizable financial commitment. It’s also visible in the way the cornerback’s highest-profile teammates have lauded the play that earned him this payday.

“In this league, it’s hard enough cover on the outside,” said All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner. “You usually find a guy who’s good at coverage or a bigger guy who’s good at the run game. To find a guy that can do both at as high of a level as [Lenoir] is, I think he’s having an All-Pro year.”

Not too shabby for a cornerback who — like his mentor, Sherman — slid all the way to the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft a week before committing the social media snafu that had him sweating the beginning to his professional career.

“It was an accident, but then I saw it on ‘SportsCenter,'” Lenoir said. “And I said, ‘Oh, this is bad. I might be cut.’ I was nervous.”

Those nerves have since been replaced by the bravado of a star NFL cornerback. It should be back on full display Sunday, when the 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks and their star wideout DK Metcalf. Lenoir has sparred with him in the past and more fireworks might be coming soon.

“I’m happy if [the contract] did put a target on my back, because I’m ready for anything,” Lenoir said.

But in the days before that, perhaps Lenoir can tackle some unfinished business off the field.

“Now,” Lenoir said with a smile, “I can finally pay Kyle back for Carter’s tuition.”