CB Samuel Womack III Press Conference

CB Samuel Womack III

Press Conference – April 30, 2022

San Francisco 49ers

Is it Sam or Samuel? How would you describe your style of play?

“My full name is Samuel, but you can call me Sam. I’m a lockdown, press corner in your face, but I’m also good at being a man corner, overall. I improved in my zone to fulfill my all-around coverage. I’m physical, too. I like to get hands-on. I like to tackle. I like to do it all.”

How much contact did you have with the 49ers during this process, if any, and how familiar are you with their defense?

“I had some contact with the DB coach [defensive passing game specialist/secondary coach Cory Undlin], a Zoom call with the DB coach. I met the GM, [John] Lynch, at a bowl game, and I just also talked to scouts. There were a few scouts at my pro day. When I did good there, scouts were just calling me here and there throughout the weeks. I’m familiar with their defense. They run a similar defense to what I ran in college, in terms of playing man, Cover 3, switching it up to Cover 4. That is all similar to what I did in college.”

I saw you were a walk-on. Is that because colleges totally missed on you, or did you just improve a lot at Toledo?

“It was both. Out of high school, I, for sure, should have had offers, but I played a role in that too. I was playing basketball, so I didn’t really know which sport I wanted to do, and I chose late. I didn’t really go to camps and get that exposure like kids do nowadays. So, that was kind of on me. My tape was good, so a lot of colleges missed out on a dog.”

Have the 49ers talked to you about where you might be playing on the defense? How has this process been for you? What was getting the call like today?

“Yeah, we talked about playing a majority inside, as well as playing special teams. I also have the versatility to play outside and we talked about that also. This journey and this road that I’ve been on in getting to this moment, it was just so surreal. I really couldn’t believe it. When I got that call, I knew the area code, so I knew what team it was coming from as soon as I got the call. It was just so surreal. Once I saw my name on that board, just seeing my family light up with me, it was just an amazing moment that I can’t take away.”

You mentioned playing inside. The 49ers, this past year, a lot of their biggest plays on defense were blitzes from the slot cornerback. How much experience do you have blitzing and if you do have some experience blitzing, do you enjoy that facet of the game?

“I have a lot of experience blitzing and a lot of reps, whether it is in practice or a game. I like it. I feel like when I come off on that edge, I can use my speed by being fast and having the lineman try to get his hands on me real quick. I feel like I can get to that quarterback when I’m blitzing and make a play back there because I’m so fast.”

Didn’t you and CB Ambry Thomas used to be high school rivals? Did you have a pretty big game against his team about six years ago?

“Yeah, I don’t like his school, but we have a good relationship. That’s my man, that’s my brother. We worked out a couple of times and chopped it up a couple of times. I’m familiar with him. When I played against him in high school, we played them at least twice a year, whether it was the playoffs or regular season. They got the best of us, but I feel like in our matchup – between me and him – I got the best of him.”

Have you spoken to Ambry Thomas recently?

“I haven’t talked to him since the summer, a matter of fact, during the season I reached out to him and congratulated him about how he finished the season, especially when he got that pick against the Rams. I just congratulated him and told him how he’s working hard. He just said, ‘you are going to get to this day and this level.’ It is ironic that we are on the same team now.”

Are there any cornerbacks in the NFL that you watch in particular and model your game after?

“I don’t really model my game after anyone, specifically. I watch different corners whether they are legends or Hall-of-Famers that used to play or new ones, like [Los Angeles Rams CB] Jalen Ramsey. I just take bits and pieces and learn what they are saying, the knowledge that they are giving, and I just try to add it to my game and bring it all in one.”