49ers rookie Ephesians Prysock earning praise from Raheem Morris

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was impressed with rookie cornerback Ephesians Prysock during Thursday night's preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans.

In the first quarter, Prysock defended a pass in the end zone, preventing first-round draft pick Carnell Tate from scoring a Titans touchdown on the play. However, Tennessee scored on the following play.

Prysock entered the NFL as an intriguing prospect. He has the size and physical tools to excel at the next level but was seen as a player who needs time to develop. His 33 1/8-inch arms were the longest among cornerbacks at this year's NFL Scouting Combine, and at just over 6-foot-3, Prysock is the tallest cornerback on the 49ers' roster.

Morris was pleased with several of the 49ers' defensive rookies in the preseason opener and is encouraged by Prysock's progress as he prepares for his first NFL season. A reporter asked Morris how Prysock looked upon reviewing the film from the Titans game.

"Just as good as he looked that night," Morris said. "Made a nice play in the red zone, being able to knock down a pass. Then there's other areas that you see when you're watching it from our view, watching how sticky he was on some of the other coverage that he could have been targeted on, but he was able to deny it or the play goes away, and the quarterback progressed."

The 49ers selected Prysock in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Washington. He joins a cornerback group featuring Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, and Upton Stout, who are the projected starters.

If Prysock's development continues to trend upward, he could emerge as a valuable rotational piece for the 49ers during the 2026 season.

"I was really pleased with how he played, and it's been really encouraging to watch his steady development throughout the whole process," Morris added.
"You start to see it in the joint practice (with the Titans last week), and then you get a chance to get into the games and really watch it come out. That's been one of the nice things to see."