The San Francisco 49ers have gotten strong contributions from rookies Mike McGlinchey and Fred Warner, and hope for more from Dante Pettis when he returns from injury. Injuries have hampered the rookie class, but there are also general skill questions to consider.
One player who has remained off the radar is cornerback Tarvarius Moore. The cornerback position has been shaky opposite Richard Sherman, and some fans have been clamoring to see Moore get a shot.
On Friday, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh offered some insight into Moore’s status.
“He’s gotta show it in practice every day … The whole thing with him is showing the entire organization he can do it by what he puts out on tape on scout team. And it starts there. He could be a robot and do what the card says, or he can be a football player and be deliberate in his technique, and do everything that we do technically while giving the offense the look that they need.
“And so as soon as he starts doing that, then we can transfer over to some of our reps on defense. And then from there, if he can show that, then he can get up to playing time.”
Moore spent his college years as a safety and is converting to cornerback. Changing positions is never a simple process, so it is not surprising this is not just happening with ease.
The one bit of good news to date is that he is earning his stripes as a special teams player, serving as effectively a “starting” special teams player. He is currently second on the team in special teams snaps, two behind Mark Nzeocha. We want more out of a third round pick, but it’s a starting point at least.
One reporter asked a follow-up question about Jullian Taylor, and Saleh said it was similar. He said Taylor is getting his legs back underneath him and is inching closer to getting an opportunity. Taylor had a big breakout early in the preseason, but given that he only played 15 games in four seasons at Temple, I’m not exactly surprised it is taking a little longer to get him into game action.