Schedule/Length of season — 21%
Rumph’s rookie season a trial under fire / Cornerback making strives, coaches say
In the lonely, somber gloom of the postgame locker room in San Diego last Sunday, Mike Rumph heard a voice of support.
The 49ers’ rookie cornerback not only had to wrestle with his team’s painful loss, he had to grapple with his role in the stumble — a pass interference penalty in the end zone that moved the Chargers’ last-gasp drive to the 1-yard line and set up the tying touchdown. That’s why it helped to see a message waiting on his cell phone, and why it helped even more when he heard the voice of his friend Philip Buchanon, the Raiders’ rookie cornerback and Rumph’s teammate at the University of Miami.
“Man, that was a bull– call,” Buchanon said in his message. “It was a perfect play. Keep your head up, and keep balling.”
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If the 49ers want to express a theme to Rumph’s turbulent rookie season thus far, a season in which he has been consistently targeted by quarterbacks and flagged eight times in 10 games, it mimics the words of Buchanon. Say the 49ers, in sum: Keep your head up, and keep balling.
“I think Mike’s going through what is a typical rookie transition from college to pro,” said general manager Terry Donahue, who drafted Rumph 27th overall. “He’s had some outstanding plays, and some other plays where he’s been beat or busted.
“But all in all, he’s making progress. If the issue is: Are we displeased? The answer is absolutely not.”
In fairness, Rumph’s assignment has been a tricky one — play well enough as a professional neophyte to stop NFL receivers, but do so mostly in a role as the third cornerback, meaning inconsistent rhythm and, often, third-down situations where he comes on to the field cold. Defensive backs coach Brett Maxie pointed out that current starters Jason Webster and Ahmed Plummer played nearly 900 snaps in their rookie seasons as starters; Rumph is getting only one-fourth of their workload in his inaugural season.
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Then again, Rumph came to the league with expectations. He did not allow a TD reception in his three years as a starter at Miami and was part of a national championship team last year. Many fans may have expected more of a shutdown-type corner. Instead, the consistency with which opposing quarterbacks have thrown his way on third down makes it seem as if Rumph’s jersey is painted neon green and as if his No. 24 has been replaced by crosshairs.
Defensive backs coach Brett Maxie hears the criticism, and his answer is simple: What else did you expect?
“And they should go after him,” Maxie said. “He’s a rookie. You go after a rookie. I told him that on Day One, that they’re going to be looking for No. 24, that they’ll go after his ass. . . . When we go through opposing team’s personnel, we look for the guys with the least experience, too. You’ve got to find an edge.
“Now, should we do things defensively to help him out? Yes. And we do.”
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To sit down and talk with Rumph is to hear the words of a calm, well- adjusted 23-year-old man. Impressively, no panic is evident. Instead, he feels OK about how things have progressed, even citing his decent performance against the Raiders’ Jerry Rice — “holding my own,” he said — as a high point of the season.
“I think my confidence is great,” Rumph said. “I feel like I can go out there and cover anybody. It’s just a matter of me playing technique. I’ve adjusted to the speed, I just want to go out there and play.”
Therein lies an issue. Rumph’s every-down status at Miami was something he grew accustomed to, and he finds the most difficult part of his transition to the NFL to be in his role as a third-down corner only. Rhythm is difficult, as is the mental aspect — something, he said, that played a role in his low point of the season, his retreat against Chiefs receiver Eddie Kennison in Kansas City’s near-comeback on the 49ers on Nov. 10.
Chiefs QB Trent Green targeted Rumph on three consecutive plays to march Kansas City inside 49ers territory, before defensive coordinator Jim Mora had to swing help Rumph’s way. Rumph remembers the drive, and shakes his head. Maxie said Rumph had been playing brilliantly to that point, and Rumph regrets how it ended.
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“I had a perfect game, up until that last drive,” Rumph said. “I got out of it mentally. It was one of those games where you think: Oh, it’s over. Then, all of a sudden: Oh, we’ve got a two-minute drill. I had to go back out.
“I tried to refocus, but I couldn’t. They got a couple of catches on me, and that was my lowest point of the season.”
Then there are all the yellow flags that seemed to follow Rumph this year. Of the eight penalties, seven were for illegal use of hands, pass interference or illegal contact, a constant source of frustration for the aggressive Rumph. On this count, he draws support from team brass, with Donahue saying some calls against Rumph have been “very marginal — very questionable.”
Rumph sees the penalties as part of a hazing ritual, an initiation process for a newcomer.
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“Because my style of play is real aggressive, and I get in there, and I’m grabbing and pushing and pulling within the five yards,” Rumph said. “Being a rookie, going against those high-caliber receivers, I think they’ve been flagging me a lot more than they should.
“If I stay aggressive, maybe the referees will know that, and know that’s what type of player I am, and they won’t flag me as much.”
Already, there has been talk that Rumph’s aggressive nature and inconsistent cornerback play makes him better suited to the position of safety,
a transition made by former 49er Merton Hanks, who was drafted as a safety. Donahue says that, although the team always discusses dual roles for any defensive back they acquire, the organization thinks Rumph’s future is at his current position.
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“Mike will be a corner,” Donahue said. “He’ll be fine. He’s just going through what a lot of guys go through.”
Said Rumph: “I think of myself as a corner. Yeah, I like contact, but (safety) is kind of a lazy position. If you want to be challenged, play corner.
That’s where the action is.”
Part of Rumph’s even keel comes from his nature, another part comes from a support group that consists of his girlfriend and 22-month-old son, who live with Rumph in a Santa Clara apartment near the team’s facility. Also, Rumph has leaned on Buchanon for support, and his father and uncles back home in Florida. Former 49ers Ronnie Lott and Eric Wright add words of support, too, and if there is a general perception out there that Rumph is a liability to the 49ers this year, no one’s going public with it. Rumph, instead, dares to dream.
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“I’ve got to try to be Pro Bowl material,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of work, but I want it so, when they talk about the 49ers, I want to be the first name they mention.”
Who will be the 2019-20 Kia Rookie of the Year?
1. Zion Williamson, New Orleans — 35%
2. Ja Morant, Memphis — 27%
3. R.J. Barrett, New York — 5%
Cam Reddish, Atlanta — 5%
Others receiving votes: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans; Goga Bitadze, Indiana; Brandon Clarke, Memphis; Carsen Edwards, Boston; Darius Garland, Cleveland; Kyle Guy, Sacramento; Rui Hachimura, Washington; Romeo Langford, Boston; Coby White, Chicago; Grant Williams, Boston
Worth noting: Williamson feels like a strong pick, but in the previous 10 years of the survey, the top vote-getter has gone on to win the Kia Rookie of the Year award just once. That was in 2007 (the first year of the survey), when Kevin Durant received 54 percent of the vote. Williamson is the first player in the last five years to receive at least one third of the vote, and he might have had more if some of his fellow rookies (those that voted for the six guys selected outside the Lottery) had studied their history. Of the 67 Rookie of the Year winners (that weren’t territorial picks in the 1950s and early ’60s), 61 (or 91 percent) were selected in the top 10 of the Draft, and 52 (or 78 percent) were selected in the top five.
| Year | Player | PCT | Team | College | Correct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Kevin Durant | 54% | Seattle | Texas | Yes |
| 2009 | Blake Griffin | 55% | LA Clippers | Oklahoma | No |
| 2010 | John Wall | 39% | Washington | Kentucky | No |
| 2012 | Anthony Davis | 47% | New Orleans | Kentucky | No |
| 2013 | McCollum / Oladipo | 24% | Portland / Orlando | Lehigh / Indiana | No |
| 2014 | Jabari Parker | 53% | Milwaukee | Duke | No |
| 2015 | Jahlil Okafor | 42% | Philadelphia | Duke | No |
| 2016 | Kris Dunn | 29% | Minnesota | Providence | No |
| 2017 | Dennis Smith Jr. | 26% | Dallas | NC State | No |
| 2018 | Ayton / Sexton | 18% | Phoenix / Cleveland | Arizona / Alabama | No |
| 2019 | Zion Williamson | 35% | New Orleans | Duke |
Which rookie will have the best career?
1. Cam Reddish, Atlanta — 19%
2. Ja Morant, Memphis — 16%
3. De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta — 11%
4. R.J. Barrett, New York — 5%
Jaxson Hayes, New Orleans — 5%
Coby White, Chicago — 5%
Zion Williamson, New Orleans — 5%
Others receiving votes: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans; Jarrett Culver, Minnesota; Carsen Edwards, Boston; Darius Garland, Cleveland; Rui Hachimura, Washington; Keldon Johnson, San Antonio; Mfiondu Kabengele, LA Clippers; Romeo Langford, Boston; Cody Martin, Charlotte; Eric Paschall, Golden State; Tremont Waters, Boston; Dylan Windler, Cleveland
Worth noting: This is the sixth straight year that a Duke player has earned (or tied for) the most votes on this question, with Reddish joining Jabari Parker (2014), Jahlil Okafor (2015), Brandon Ingram (2016), Jayson Tatum (2017) and Carter. The seven players who received multiple votes were all selected in the top 10, though there were another eight votes for players selected outside the Lottery.
| Year | Player | PCT | Team | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Kevin Durant | 56% | Seattle | Texas |
| 2009 | Blake Griffin | 21% | LA Clippers | Oklahoma |
| 2010 | John Wall | 24% | Washington | Kentucky |
| 2012 | Anthony Davis | 41% | New Orleans | Kentucky |
| 2013 | Oladipo / Olynyk | 18% | Orlando / Boston | Indiana / Gonzaga |
| 2014 | Jabari Parker | 46% | Milwaukee | Duke |
| 2015 | Jahlil Okafor | 24% | Philadelphia | Duke |
| 2016 | Brandon Ingram | 27% | L.A. Lakers | Duke |
| 2017 | Ball / Tatum | 18% | Lakers / Boston | UCLA / Duke |
| 2018 | Wendell Carter Jr. | 13% | Chicago | Duke |
| 2019 | Cam Reddish | 19% | Atlanta | Duke |
Which rookie was the biggest steal at where he was selected in the Draft?
1. Bol Bol (44), Denver — 19%
Kevin Porter Jr. (30), Cleveland — 19%
3. Carsen Edwards (33), Boston — 5%
Nassir Little (25), Portland — 5%
Isaiah Roby (45), Dallas — 5%
Coby White (7), Chicago — 5%
Grant Williams (22), Boston — 5%
Others receiving votes: Nickeil Alexander-Walker (17), New Orleans; Brandon Clarke (21), Memphis; Jaxson Hayes (8), New Orleans; Talen Horton-Tucker (46), L.A. Lakers; Keldon Johnson (29), San Antonio; Mfiondu Kabengele (27), LA Clippers; Romeo Langford (14), Boston; Jordan Poole (28), Golden State; Cam Reddish (10), Atlanta; Luka Samanic (19), San Antonio; Admiral Schofield (42), Washington; Quinndary Weatherspoon (49), San Antonio; Dylan Windler (26), Cleveland
Worth noting: As it often does, this question got the biggest range of answers, including each of the last six picks of the first round. But Bol and Porter, two of the six players from the Pac-12 Conference, clearly stood out among the group. Draymond Green is the only one of the previous 16 players to earn (or tie for) the most votes on this question (which was worded “Which rookie is being most overlooked” through 2014) that has ever been an All-Star, though Donovan Mitchell is certainly a potential All-Star in the years to come.
| Year | Player | PCT | Team | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Nick Young | 16% | Washington | USC |
| 2009 | DeJuan Blair | 16% | San Antonio | Pittsburgh |
| 2010 | Lance Stephenson | 18% | Indiana | Cincinnati |
| 2012 | Green / Jones / Nicholson / Wroten | 9% | GSW / OKC / ORL / MEM | |
| 2013 | Ledo / Murphy / Noel / Olynyk | 9% | DAL / CHI / PHI / BOS | |
| 2014 | Kyle Anderson | 11% | San Antonio | UCLA |
| 2015 | Joe Young | 12% | Indiana | Oregon |
| 2016 | Dejounte Murray | 16% | San Antonio | Washington |
| 2017 | Donovan Mitchell | 19% | Utah | Louisville |
| 2018 | Keita Bates-Diop | 13% | Minnesota | Ohio State |
| 2019 | Bol / Porter | 19% | Denver / Cleveland | Oregon / USC |
