San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward is currently in his fifth NFL season. Since entering the league, Ward has appeared in 67 games over four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and the current season with the 49ers, notching 283 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, two forced fumbles, 38 passes defended and five interceptions.

"He's been what we hoped for," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "For him to come and be exactly what we thought has been great."

Keep reading to learn more about San Francisco's cornerback.

Ward started his collegiate football career at Hinds Community College, where he had 64 tackles and four interceptions in two seasons (2014-2015) before transferring to a Division I football program at Middle Tennessee State. As a Blue Raider, Ward recorded 74 total tackles, 21 passes defensed and two interceptions in 25 games. However, the cornerback ended up going undrafted before signing with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent in 2018.

"I came a long way being undrafted, being overlooked," Ward said. "I came a long way, I've gotten better and better every year and I feel like I can still keep getting better, so I'm proud of myself for that."

Ward sported a No. 2 jersey while playing for Middle Tennessee State because he was a fan of 49ers veteran cornerback Jason Verrett, who at the time was playing for the Los Angeles Chargers.

"I've been a fan of JV since I was in college," Ward said. "I wore the No. 2 in college because of Jason Verrett. I've been a fan of his. He's been dropping knowledge on us... He's a big dog for sure."

During Week 12 of the 2021 season, Ward traveled to his hometown of McComb, Mississippi during the Kansas City Chiefs Bye week to donate $10,000 worth of holiday food with help from the Boys and Girls Club and the Mississippi Food Network.

"This is the place that made me who I am. This is the reason why I'm in the NFL now," Ward said. "I love my hometown. This is the place that made me. I got a lot, so I just chose to give back this year and I'm making it a tradition from now on to give back every year. I just love my people and I want to give back to them."

Ward, along with volunteers from the Boys & Girls Club and McComb High School, distributed turkeys and fresh produce to 290 families. Ward mentioned that his donation in 2021 was just the beginning for his newly founded charity, Charvarius for Change.

When the cornerback does find time to escape from football, his favorite hobbies include reading and watching cartoons. His favorite genre of books are romance, mystery and suspense and his favorite authors are Colleen Hoover and Nicholas Sparks.

"I love Verity, that's a top three book of all time," Ward said in a 49ers Cart Talk. "I read a lot of books. I've read at least eight of her (Hoover's) books."

When it comes to cartoons, his go-to is Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants.

"I love cartoons. SpongeBob is top-two of all time. I like SpongeBob and Family Guy, some of the old school shows like Ed, Edd n Eddy. I'm just a big kid."

So far this season, Ward has recorded 62 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, nine passes defended and one interception returned for nine yards. He's helped the 49ers defense become the No. 1 overall total defense. The unit also ranks first in the league for big plays as of Week 13.

"I want to help make this one of the top defenses in the NFL, not just in the NFC or in this division," Ward said when joining San Francisco in free agency. "I want to show everybody that I'm tired of flying under the radar. I'm a big dog and I'm going to show everybody that I'm a big dog this year, that's why they came and got me."

In the cornerback's four years in the NFL, he has not yet added Pro Bowl experience to his resume. However, the Faithful can help Ward reach his first Pro Bowl by voting for him here.