Tag: NFL Draft Picks

49ers’ NFL draft haul signals roster changes on horizon

The 49ers didn’t make any major changes to their roster this year. If the draft is any indication, though, next offseason will be different:

The 49ers’ 2024 NFL draft selections didn’t feature any moves that will dramatically alter the roster this season. Trade talk about wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel quieted as the selection process moved into Day 2, and it became clear throughout the three-day event that San Francisco is gearing up for long-term changes to its roster.

Wide receiver is the most obvious spot that could look very different next season. That became clear when the 49ers selected WR Ricky Pearsall at No. 31 overall. Future changes in the WR corps were further confirmed in Round 4 when the 49ers took Arizona WR Jacob Cowing No. 135 overall.

Both players figure to make the roster this season, which would change the back end of the depth chart. Next year is when things could change more dramatically with Samuel potentially gone and Jauan Jennings potentially entering free agency.

The selection of Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha at No. 124 overall was another hint that changes are coming.

Mustapha figures to earn a starting job in the NFL. The 49ers have Talanoa Hufanga and Ji’Ayir Brown slated to start at the two safety spots this season, but Hufanga is an unrestricted free agent next year and the Mustapha pick puts the writing on the wall.

Assuming Hufanga fully recovers from his torn ACL and continues playing like one of the top safeties in the league, he’ll get a contract in free agency that soars well north of what San Francisco will be able to afford.

Extensions will also be required to keep players like cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir and left guard Aaron Banks. It’s easy to draw a line between the cost of their next contracts and the Day 2 selections of CB Renardo Green and OL Dominick Puni.

Even the trade up for running back Isaac Guerendo is a signal that time could in the Bay Area could be running out for RBs Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason – both expected to hit free agency next offseason.

The 49ers didn’t suddenly become cheap. They just have to start sacrificing some areas of the roster with a sizable payday coming for quarterback Brock Purdy, whose rookie contract is halfway through. Once Purdy becomes more expensive, the 49ers will have to alter the way their roster is constructed. This is the reality of team building in a league with a hard salary cap.

That means letting some good players out the door. The 49ers worked through this draft as though they’re gearing up to replace some of those players as the roster needs to become younger.

In 2024 the 49ers will aim to get back to the Super Bowl with most of the same core that’s been around since their first Super Bowl run with Kyle Shanahan in 2019. Next year it’ll start looking different, though, and a handful of players taken in this year’s draft will be key in ushering in that new era of football in San Francisco.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

 

 

WATCH: 49ers 7th-round LB Tatum Bethune loves to hit

49ers 7th-round LB Tatum Bethune is a lot of fun to watch.

The 49ers have a type at linebacker and it’s clear watching Florida State Tatum Bethune run around why San Francisco identified him as the player they wanted with the 251st overall pick in the 2024 draft.

His lack of size probably contributed to his fall into the seventh round, and there are some missed tackles that come as a result of his aggressiveness in getting to the football. When he connects though, it is loud.

He walloped LSU quarterback and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels on a hit often used to show why Daniels could have trouble adapting to the NFL.

There may or may not ever be a starting job for Bethune, but if he winds up getting regular defensive playing time it wouldn’t be a surprise.

Check out these highlight clips:

Instant analysis: Can 7th-round LB Tatum Bethune carve out role in Year 1?

Did the #49ers draft their next great starting LB in the 7th round?

There was already going to be a bit of a logjam for the 49ers at linebacker, and now their LB room is more crowded after the club selected Florida State’s Tatum Bethune with their final pick (251 overall) in this year’s draft.

Bethune fits the mold to play the Will linebacker spot in the 49ers’ defense. He’s 5-11, 229 pounds, but it’s not evident from watching him where he flies around and sticks his nose in with force against the run. There is plenty of athleticism and instinct in coverage to believe Bethune could become a viable coverage option as a pro. He also had good ball production in college with 14 pass breakups and four interceptions.

The problem for him finding his way onto the roster is that he’ll have Fred Warner and De’Vondre Campbell ahead of him on the depth chart. Veteran Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles is also back, along with second-year LBs Dee Winters and Jalen Graham. Dre Greenlaw’s status is uncertain after he tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl, but he could return in the 2024 campaign.

Bethune’s path to a roster spot will start on special teams, but he’ll have an opportunity during his rookie year to place himself as a potential long-term starting option in the event Greenlaw doesn’t re-sign with the 49ers this offseason. To get there though he’ll need to outperform both Winters and Graham who looked good in preseason action last year.

There are plenty of tools for Bethune to become a starting LB in the NFL. Now he has to prove it in a crowded, but largely unproven LB room.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers final pick in 2024 NFL draft is LB Tatum Bethune

The final pick is in for the #49ers in the 2024 NFL draft!

The 49ers wrapped up their 2024 NFL draft by selecting Florida State linebacker Tatum Bethune with the 251st overall pick.

Bethune is a very 49ers linebacker prospect in that he’s undersized with good athleticism and a ton of aggression that allows him to play bigger than his 5-11, 229-pound frame.

Before joining Florida State, Bethune played for three seasons at the University of Central Florida where he played in 35 games with 17 starts. With the Seminoles he started 21 of the 26 games he played.

In his 61 college games Bethune posted 339 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 14 pass breakups and four interceptions.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Instant analysis of 49ers 6th-round pick Jarrett Kingston

49ers 6th-round OL Jarrett Kingston played almost every position on the OL in college. So where will he play with San Francisco?

Near the end of Round 6 of the draft, the 49ers made another addition to their offensive line. With the 215th overall pick, San Francisco brought in USC offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston. During six college seasons, Kingston was a jack of all trades, master of none.

That experience at so many spots had to be a key selling point for San Francisco as they aim to add some quality depth along their offensive line. Whether Jackson will be able to play in the NFL remains to be seen, but his athleticism should allow him to at least be competitive in the quest to eventually earn a roster spot.

Chances are his first season is spent on the practice squad, where the 49ers hone his skill set at one position. His frame (6-4, 308 pounds with 32-inch arms) says he’ll be a guard in the NFL unless San Francisco wants to try playing him at center — the lone position he didn’t play in college.

If Kingston winds up being a quality, versatile offensive lineman, he could become a viable backup for a 49ers club that doesn’t have a ton of depth up front.

 

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers add to OL, select USC G Jarrett Kingston in 6th round

The pick is in! It’s USC OL Jarrett Kingston to the #49ers with the 215th pick.

The 49ers made another addition to their offensive line late in this year’s draft. With the 215th overall pick San Francisco selected USC guard Jarrett Kingston.

Kingston played a lot of football across his six-year college career. He began his college time with Washington State where he played in 37 games with 26 starts. In his lone year with the Trojans after transferring he started 11 of the 12 games he played.

Impressively, Kingston started at four of the five spots on the offensive line. He started 16 games at left guard, 10 at left tackle, six at right guard and five at right tackle. Given his 6-4, 308-pound frame and relatively short arms (just over 32 inches) he’ll probably wind up sticking as a guard in the NFL.

He’s a good athlete with plenty of experience. His NFL future will rely on him settling at a position and honing his skill set there.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

WATCH: 49ers 4th-round draft pick Jacob Cowing college highlights

Jacob Cowing highlights? Jacob Cowing highlights. Check out the #49ers 4th-round pick at WR:

The 49ers’ quest to revamp their receiving corps started with their first-round pick in this year’s draft. It continued at the end of Round 4 when they took Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing No. 135 overall.

Cowing didn’t measure in with great size at the combine where he came in at 5-8, 168 pounds. While that size may be a bit of an issue that limits him to working out of the slot in the NFL, he has plenty of athleticism to make a living playing from that spot.

At the combine Cowing clocked a 4.38 40-yard dash so he has the speed to take the top off a defense, but he’s not just a speed merchant. He works a lot in the short areas of the passing game where his ability to create separation makes him a potential go-to target on third downs and in the red zone for San Francisco.

Check out these highlight clips:

 

 

 

 

WATCH: 49ers 4th-round draft pick Isaac Guerendo makes tackle breaking look easy

49ers 4th-round RB Isaac Guerendo can MOVE. Check out these highlight clips:

Adding running back depth was such a priority for the 49ers in this year’s draft that they traded two fifth-round picks to slide up to No. 129 in the fourth round to take Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo.

The raw numbers for Guerendo aren’t super impressive. He rushed for 1,392 yards and 17 touchdowns on 231 college carries. He added 358 receiving yards and one touchdown on 42 catches.

Watching him tells a much different story than the numbers though, and it’s clear from his one season at Lousiville that his lack of statistical production hard more to do with injury problems during his time at Wisconsin than his overall talent.

Check out these highlights of the 49ers’ newest RB:

 

 

 

 

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

WATCH: 49ers 4th-round draft pick Malik Mustapha brings the thump in college highlights

Check out these highlight clips of #49ers 4th-round pick S Malik Mustapha:

The 49ers made Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha the 124th overall pick in the 2024 draft. He may not start on Day 1, but there should be a long-term role available for him beyond the 2024 season.

Watching highlights of Mustapha makes it clear why San Francisco loves his upside. There won’t be a ton of electric athletic flashes, but he is an outstanding, instinctual football player who is able to constantly be around the football despite not having the elite speed traits teams may typically look for at safety.

Mustapha has enough athleticism to cover tight ends and wide receivers in short areas, but his calling card is the thump he brings as a tackler, and that shows up constantly in his highlight reels:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]