The San Francisco 49ers have not reached the heights they might have expected to this point in 2024 but, sitting at 4-4 after their Sunday Night Football win over the Dallas Cowboys, they are still very much alive, with their return to winning ways fueled by one of their biggest positives from an up-and-down campaign.

San Francisco has one of the most star-studded rosters in the NFL, but it was clear after the 49ers' 2023 season ended in Super Bowl agony that it needed an infusion of youth. 

A lack of draft capital because of the trades that netted Trey Lance and Christian McCaffrey had seen the 49ers' roster become overly top heavy, clearly leaving them needing to find multiple contributors from their 2024 class.

The 49ers' primetime win against Dallas added to the already significant evidence that they have done just that.

San Francisco has gotten extremely assured play at right guard from third-round pick Dominick Puni all season long. More recently, second-round cornerback Renardo Green and fourth-round safety Malik Mustapha have produced critical contributions. Green was the 49ers' highest-graded defender by Pro Football Focus against Dallas while Mustapha made a key pass breakup in the endzone in another strong all-round performance. 

First-round receiver Ricky Pearsall had 77 total yards in his second game for the team, including a 39-yard jet sweep in the fourth quarter. 

Undrafted free agent defensive tackle Evan Anderson also contributed as he played 14 snaps in his first game since being permanently promoted to the active roster, yet the star rookie this week was undoubtedly fourth-round running back Isaac Guerendo, who offered further vindication of the 49ers' decision to trade up for him with 102 total yards, 85 coming on the ground, and a touchdown.

The 49ers' rookie class has helped them stay afloat during a turbulent season and, after the win, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if he thinks about where they might be without their first-year standouts.

"I think about that a lot during the week," Shanahan replied. "That's who we're practicing a lot with during the week. We went into this year, we thought it'd be real hard for a lot of the rookies to earn starting positions, just where our team was at. But we believed that they were going to give us some real good depth and you hope to have some good luck and stuff and not have to get to that. 

"But we haven't in all areas. And fortunately, that a lot of those guys are players. They showed it in preseason and when their number's been called, they've all come in and done their job and they all continue to get better too."

Tight end George Kittle, who made history on several fronts with a performance that saw him record 128 receiving yards and score his sixth touchdown of the year, added: "I think all of our rookies kind of stepped up. Isaac was phenomenal. I always yell at him, ‘hey, you ran 0.01 seconds slower than [Miami Dolphins RB and former 49er] Raheem Mostert – always strive for that speed when you're running the ball.’ 

"He did a really good job of that today. He took advantage of those and I think he got more comfortable the more reps he got, each and every rep. He's just going to keep getting better with all the reps that he gets – so that was awesome. I thought Ricky played really well and for him to be out there and take advantage of his opportunities. The run that he had, being able to set up my block to be able to then go down field is fantastic. 

"I thought [WR] Jake Cowing, the punt return stuff was incredible. He got ran into and they didn't throw a flag on that one, but he was catching every punt and getting vertical. I thought he was doing a really good job for us, too. And Puni is pretty good."

All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner went further, lauding the class for its impact while laying down a challenge to the rookies as the 49ers look to the stretch run after their Week 9 bye.

"That's a heck of a rookie class right there," Warner said. 

"I don't think you can talk about it enough, it's so hard to play as a rookie in the NFL, and all those guys playing at such a high level right now. It's been amazing to see and they've all come in with the right mindset, following everybody's lead and we're going to need them in the second half of the season."

49ers snap counts in win over Cowboys reflect their potential targets at the trade deadline

They could provide some clues.