San Francisco 49ers: Can Nnamdi Asomugha Still Be a Great Corner?

May 22, 2013; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (24) on the field during organized team activities at the 49ers training complex. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Nnamdi Asomugha is a questionable player to entrust your defensive secondary in. If Asomugha can live up to the hype that he earned during his tenure with the Oakland Raiders the Niners should be even better than before, or he could struggle with 49ers like he did with Philadelphia.

What you see is what you get with Nnamdi, but if you can pull the amazing and talented defensive back that we all know is in him, then you could get some decent production. If you want five-plus interceptions and 50-plus tackles, you will need to supply a great team around him.

Now, you could do it how the Raiders did and give him a makeshift linebacker core, a below-average defensive line, and last and most certainly least one of the worst secondaries in the league. Then, he is just an above-average corner on a bad team.

However, when he didn’t have much help around hm in Philadelphia, he struggled mightily. If the Eagles hadn’t given Asomugha a hefty contract and watched him collapse, they probably wouldn’t be sitting around like ducks with their terrible 4-12 record.

If Asomugha works hard and pushes towards another contract with the Niners, one that could possibly last more than one year and worth more than his current payroll, the 49ers will get tremendous production out of the speedy defensive back. He will be helped by a stellar supporting cast, which could help him return to his Pro-Bowl form.

With that being said, the departure of Dashon Goldson does not seem to affect the defensive production that much, especially with the deadliness of Asomugha to defend the pass.

I have no doubt in my mind that Nnamdi can still be a great corner, but he has to actually work hard and set a goal that he wants to reach. He needs to prove all of his doubters and criticizers wrong, and only then will that “fire” return to his belly and get the wheels rotating on all cylinders.

Does that sound like a reasonable goal to you? Because it does to me.

Don’t forget that he is a three-time Pro-Bowler and a five-time All-Pro award winner. With all the accolades that he has earned over his long illustrious career the 49ers should be a go in the secondary due to this addition.