Breaking Down Corey Lemonier's Renewed Importance to 49ers' Linebacker Corps

With one gone and another tenuously contracted, outside linebacker Corey Lemonier must realize the renewed importance he now holds to the San Francisco 49ers.

A defense that no longer has the underrated services of Dan Skuta—and one that simply cannot know what the embattled Ahmad Brooks will bring to the table—will need critical reserve contributions from its third-year man.

The issue, however, is whether that asset can even offer said contributions.

Once hailed as an Aldon Smith-like athlete, Lemonier saw his stock plummet last season. And for the 49ers and their fanbase, there’s little doubting the shock that they both felt over his unexpected fall from grace.

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Selected No. 88 overall in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft, Lemonier brought immense potential.

The three-year player out of Auburn ranked seventh in the SEC with 13.5 tackles for loss, fourth with 9.5 sacks and second with five forced fumbles in 2011. He earned first-team all-conference honors from SEC coaches for that notable production, per NFL.com.

Despite a relatively down year in 2012 in which he posted 5.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and one forced fumble, the promise was still there.

Revered scouting expert Mike Mayock attributed “late-first to late-second round" talent to Lemonier at the time of the draft. The scouts at ESPN Insider added that he “plays with a great motor, is relentless as a pass-rusher and flashes an explosive first step and ability to bend and shave the edge.”

Dave Martin/Associated Press

Those scouts further acknowledged Lemonier’s big hands (10.13”), long arms (34.5”) and third-fastest 40 time (4.60) and 10-split (1.60) among defensive linemen at the combine.

Although he earned merely average marks for instincts and run defense, he also notched above-average grades in pass-rush skills, versatility and intangibles. He received an “exceptional” score for durability as well.

And again, Lemonier being “quick off the edge” and “good in space” qualified him for an Aldon-Smith-type role on the 49ers defense.

To his credit, Lemonier shined in limited action both before and during the 2013 regular season.

Pro Football Focus awarded him with a plus-3.1 grade for pass rushing. He compiled two sacks, nine quarterback hurries and three tackles in 124 preseason snaps. He then tallied an even better plus-4.8 in the regular season with one sack, one safety, one forced fumble, three pass breakups and 23 other quarterback pressures in 284 snaps.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

But when the 49ers drafted Aaron Lynch in the fifth round last year, it all came crashing down for Lemonier.

Notwithstanding his preseason high of 164 snaps among Niners linebackers, not to mention two sacks and nine quarterback pressures, Lemonier was no longer the star of the show. Lynch led all San Francisco defenders with a plus-3.3 grade from PFF. He added one sack, four pressures, three pass breakups and seven tackles.

The 6’5”, 249-pounder with the enormous wingspan then registered two starts and appeared in all 16 games last season. He ranked second on the 49ers and No. 20 overall among 3-4 outside linebackers with a plus-5.6 score in pass rushing. His six sacks, eight quarterback hits, 27 hurries and four pass breakups contributed to that stellar grade—for a rookie or otherwise.

Elsa/Getty Images

Lemonier, meanwhile, couldn’t have played any worse. He totaled zero sacks and just two pressures in a highly regulated 147 snaps during garbage time. PFF hit him with a minus-9.6 score, which was second lowest on the 49ers.

Former Niners defensive coordinator Vic Fangio supplied this revealing analysis after the first two games, per David Fucillo of Niners Nation:

"

He’s developing…We’d like to see him rush the passer a little bit better than he has in these first two games….Obviously, everybody’s got to have a couple pitches…you just can’t be a fastball pitcher…We run games with him…Those are part of being different pitches…But, you can’t do it every play. So, he’s just got to rush a little bit better on an individual basis…

"

Coming back full circle to the topic at hand, Lemonier must do one of two things.

Depending on his psychological inclinations, he must either use that colossal disaster of a 2014 campaign as motivation for this season or just simply forget it ever happened. And whichever stimulating approach he chooses, it had better translate into production on the field.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Skuta signed a five-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this week. Overpaid contract aside, he was a vital cog at outside linebacker last season.

He started 10 games in place of the suspended Aldon Smith and appeared in 14 contests all told. He registered a career-high 33 tackles, five sacks and three forced fumbles. PFF awarded him with positive grades in both pass and run defense.

His production, team-first demeanor and versatility as a starter and reserve asset proved crucial to the 49ers in 2014.

But Skuta’s not walking back through that door. And Brooks, despite general manager Trent Baalke saying he won’t become a salary-cap casualty, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, doesn’t exactly stand on solid ground entering this season.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Maiocco provides the context:

"

Brooks' status with the team appeared to be in serious doubt late in the season as he lost playing time to rookie Aaron Lynch and was twice benched in games. He lashed out at then-defensive line coach Jim Tomsula over a reduction in playing time and sat out the entire second half of the 49ers' 16-10 win at the New York Giants…Three weeks later, he did not step onto the field after missing a team meeting and showing up late to another in preparation to face the [Oakland] Raiders.

"

To be sure, Brooks potentially returning to the Niners is still very much a positive development. He matched Lynch’s team high of six sacks and still offers versatility as a 3-4 outside linebacker, inside ‘backer on goal-line sets and even defensive end in certain hybrid schemes.

Of course, last season’s display of insubordination and a minus-7.2 and bottom-five positional ranking from PFF hurt his cause. But six sacks are six sacks, and the 49ers will need all hands on deck in the wake of a massive coaching turnover and loss of Skuta and defensive leaders Patrick Willis and Justin Smith.

Yet the backup hands they’ll need the most belong to Lemonier. Cutting Brooks post-June 1 would still shave $4.35 million off the cap, as opposed to the mere $1.55 million owed to Lemonier over the next two years combined.

His salary, skill set and incredibly high ceiling deem him as the must-have candidate for top reserve behind Aldon Smith and Lynch.

And if it’s to continue in the future, it must start now.

All team and player statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference and Sports-Reference unless otherwise noted. Advanced metrics provided by Pro Football Focus. All contract information courtesy of Over The Cap.

Joe Levitt is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, waxing academic, colloquial and statistical eloquence on the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him on Twitter @jlevitt16