49ers Draft Rewind 2024: The 49ers get a first round pick again

We’re finally back in the first round, folks. It wasn’t without massive controversy. Leading up to the draft, the 49ers were in the midst of a minor contract issue with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The draft was seen as the place where the 49ers’ intentions would be known.If they were moving on from Aiyuk, you’d see it in the first round—via trade and a wide receiver pick. There were also rumors of them trading Deebo Samuel, because what’s a 49ers offseason without drama?

In the first round, the 49ers did one of those things in their first Day 1 selection since 2021, and, naturally, it caused a minor Twitter meltdown. The pick? With the 31st selection, Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.

Within a couple of hours, there was no Aiyuk trade news, and now the 49ers had Pearsall, Aiyuk, and (probably) Samuel.

The pick itself was mixed, but a lot of us (myself included) were thankfully proven wrong. That night, it seemed odd, especially with offensive line depth still a clear need. But Pearsall won a lot of fans over before his season even started, after being shot during an armed robbery in late August. Yes, you read that right. He got shot in the chest and still made his rookie debut against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7 to the tune of three receptions for 21 yards. It doesn’t seem like much, but at that moment, Pearsall had more yards and receptions in one game than AJ Jenkins managed in his entire rookie season.

From there, it was the expected rookie curve, but there’s a lot of promise from Pearsall. A full season will help. With Deebo Samuel traded to Washington and Jauan Jennings’ future up in the air, Pearsall’s role will only grow. That chest wound put a wrench in things.

In the second round, the 49ers addressed the secondary, grabbing Florida State’s Renardo Green at pick 64. Green didn’t start Week 1, but by midseason, he was logging full-time snaps and holding his own. He finished the year with 61 tackles (41 solo), 13 deflections, one forced fumble, and a single career interception: one that sealed the game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle (which might as well count for 10 interceptions, given the setting). He’s got a clear path to a starting outside role in 2025 with Charvarius Ward departing for the Indianapolis Colts.

That’s two studs, but the third round brought the pick that might age the best: Kansas offensive lineman Dominick Puni. He started every game at right guard and played like someone who’d been on the line for five years, not five minutes. How he lasted this long, given his 6-foot-5 frame, 313 pounds, and an 81⅛-inch wingspan, I may never know. Puni was the definition of steady—nothing flashy, but no weekly “welp, that was a turnstile” moments either. In fact, there was a running log of how many games had passed without Pearsall giving up a sack. If Aaron Banks or Spencer Burford had stuck around, Puni’s emergence mightn’t have felt as crucial. However, with the O-line needing reinforcements after all the free-agent exits, this pick might be the one that holds the whole operation together.

It’s safety time in Round 4. Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha. Think of Mustapha as a less rangy, more physical Ji’Ayir Brown. As the season went on, this skillset made you wonder if he was outplaying Ji’Ayir Brown by the end of the year. He didn’t start, but he rotated during three-safety sets and stood out on special teams. One forced fumble, a few key third-down stops, and a general “always around the ball” vibe is what you might think of with Mustapha. It’s needed too; Talanoa Hufanga left in free agency for the Denver Broncos, and while Brown isn’t horrible, he hasn’t been inspiring confidence.

Now, some speed AND the annual Kyle Shanahan burning on a running back. The good thing is, this pick worked. Four picks after Mustafpha, Louisville running back Isaac Guerendo was selected. If you watched the highlights (which I’ve linked), you’d wonder if you were watching a track star. He was brought in to be the “change of pace” guy, and for once, the 49ers actually were forced to use a rookie running back not named Christian McCaffrey. Guerendo had 400+ yards on the ground, a few explosive plays, and a couple of games where he looked like the only one not gassed. There were some injury issues. He also had some ball security moments, but if he stays healthy and Shanahan stops pretending McCaffrey is immortal, Guerendo could have real juice in 2025. After Green’s game-sealing interception in Seattle, Guerendo delivered a 76-yard burst that flipped field position and set up a touchdown, effectively putting the game out of reach.. We were teased by a three-headed beast of McCaffrey, Guerendo, and Jordan Mason, but Mason was traded to the Minnesota Vikings after he showed he was good at playing football. Imagine that.

We’re still in the fourth round, and it’s Arizona’s Jacob Cowing, who barely got on the field. This one felt like a stash from the jump. He had four catches for 80 yards all season and spent most of the year inactive or on special teams. Not out of the picture, but probably not in it either.

In the sixth round, the 49ers took USC’s Jarrett Kingston to add more offensive line depth. He didn’t start but was active on game days late in the year and filled in during some injury-heavy weeks. No major blowups, no highlights, and no panic snaps—the best-case scenario for a sixth-round lineman in Year 1. And the 49ers need all the linemen they can get.

The final pick of the class came in Round 7 with Florida State linebacker Tatum Bethune. As expected, he was a special teamer through and through. He made a few nice tackles in kick coverage and looked the part during preseason, but this was always a depth pick. If the 49ers finally move on from Oren Burks or lose another linebacker to injury, Bethune could sneak into a rotational role, but for now, he’s firmly back-of-roster.

This class was exactly what you want after a few years of whiffs and weird kicker overdrafts. Pearsall showed he can play—and more importantly, take a hit (or a bullet). Green is a legitimate companion to Deommodore Lenoir. Puni was rock-solid on the interior. Guerendo added speed. If there’s a knock, it’s that there still were a lot of depth and holes that needed filling, and the 49ers didn’t have enough picks. However, regarding reliability and trajectory, this class could quietly become one of, if not the best, drafts of Lynch and Shanahan’s better efforts. Let’s hope they don’t screw it up by overthinking everyone’s role next year.

Pick Breakdown

Round 1 - No. 31 - Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida

Round 2 - No. 64 - Renardo Green, CB, Florida State

Round 3 - No. 86 - Dominick Puni, OL, Kansas

Round 4 - No. 124 - Malik Mustapha, S, Wake Forest

Round 4 - No. 129 - Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville

Round 4 - No. 135 - Jacob Cowing, WR, Arizona

Round 6 - No. 215 - Jarrett Kingston, G, USC

Round 7 - No. 251 - Tatum Bethune, LB, Florida State

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