San Francisco 49ers' 2023 draft class has an enticing opportunity to make team look very smart in 2024
Naturally the San Francisco 49ers' 2024 draft class has received much attention as the reigning NFC champions have reconvened for OTAs. But the forthcoming campaign is also a significant one for the Niners' group of players from the 2023 draft, one that has yielded better results than might have been expected for a class in […]
Naturally the San Francisco 49ers' 2024 draft class has received much attention as the reigning NFC champions have reconvened for OTAs.
But the forthcoming campaign is also a significant one for the Niners' group of players from the 2023 draft, one that has yielded better results than might have been expected for a class in which they did not have a pick until the third round.
Their top pick in that draft, safety Ji'Ayir Brown, did not see significant action on defense until Week 11, when 2022 All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga suffered a torn ACL. He immediately made an impact with three pass breakups and an interception in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and, though he was a little up and down at times, Brown continued to impress and recorded an interception of Patrick Mahomes in the Niners' Super Bowl defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.
He is poised to be a full-time starter next to Hufanga in 2024, but Brown was not the only rookie success story from last year. Kicker Jake Moody had some high-profile misses, including a potential game-winner in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, but his controversial selection with the 99th overall pick looks a lot more justifiable after he made 21 of 25 field goals in the regular season and nailed two kicks of over 50 yards in the Super Bowl.
It's early to affirm Brown or Moody as draft hits for the 49ers, but they each appear to be on the right path, and the 2023 draft will be in a position to be considered a success for San Francisco if there is progress made by a few other members of the class this coming season.
San Francisco did get some promising play out of seventh-round receiver Ronnie Bell, who scored three touchdowns in his maiden season. Yet where the Niners would ideally like to see that progress is from one of the two tight ends they drafted.
Third-rounder Cameron Latu did not play as a rookie owing to a knee injury, while seventh-round pick Brayden Willis only played sparingly. The 49ers have made no secret of their desire to take some of the burden off All-Pro starter George Kittle, and they would undoubtedly be delighted if one of Latu or Willis stepped up to do so.
There is also an opening, albeit maybe only a temporary one, at the SAM linebacker position.
Dre Greenlaw is a major doubt to be healthy to take his usual spot at WILL linebacker in Week 1 after tearing his Achilles in the Super Bowl. Free agent De'Vondre Campbell is the favorite to take his place and would likely move to SAM upon Greenlaw's eventual return.
With Oren Burks' departure in free agency, the SAM spot is, for now, available, with 2023 late-round picks Dee Winters and Jalen Graham each candidates to take it.
Winters saw more action that Graham in 2023 and has received recent praise from new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen. Greenlaw is bound for unrestricted free agency next offseason and, as such, Winters or Graham snatching that opportunity and excelling at SAM linebacker would be extremely beneficial for the long-term health of the 49er defense.
Edge rusher Robert Beal Jr. was picked in the fifth round last year and, with the likes of Nick Bosa, Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos and Drake Jackson ahead of him on the depth chart, has a less clearly defined potential path towards regular snaps than Winters and Graham.
However, the 49ers trusted Beal to play defensive snaps in the playoffs and the Super Bowl after only making his debut in Week 15. Crucially, at no point did he look out of place.
Beal's ability to perhaps leapfrog Jackson in the edge rush rotation is not as important to the 49ers' hopes as them getting more out of the second tight end spot or finding a solution at SAM linebacker while Greenlaw is out.
But if Brown and Moody continue to progress, the tight end and linebacker are holes are filled through 2023 draft picks making strides and Beal makes a successful push for regular playing time, then a draft in which the 49ers did not have any premium selections could soon look very impressive.
San Francisco 49ers coach underlines biggest challenge for second-round pick Renardo Green in rookie year
It has nothing to do with coverage.
