In this class, there were two Year 1 contributors.
The San Francisco 49ers were able to acquire a quarterback and the Offensive Player of the Year through prior transactions, which allowed them to select No. 87 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Therefore, while calculating re-draft grades, Christian McCaffrey is considered the second, third, and fourth round selections.
The Niners rookie class included Ji’Ayir Brown, Jake Moody, Cameron Latu, Darrell Luter Jr., Robert Beal Jr., Dee Winters, Bradyen Willis, Ronnie Bell, and Jalen Graham. Latu spent the whole year on the injured reserve. Graham was largely a healthy scratch, and Beal and Luter missed much of the season.
NFL.com regraded every team, and the Niners received a D+ for their rookie class.
After Talanoa Hufanga tore his ACL in Week 10, Ji’Ayir Brown was compelled to take action. The younger guys didn’t play in Year 1 because of the 49ers’ success and (over?) reliance on veterans.
They were happy to let Brown pick up knowledge from the sidelines. Before Brown was named a starter, Kyle Shanahan was always pleased with his practice performance.
It’s easy to support Shanahan’s decision to rely on veterans when you consider the high-stakes games the 49ers played in, particularly in the closing stretch, and the fact that rookies are inevitably going to make mistakes.
Even with the seventh pick overall, Ronnie Bell is a shining example. Most receivers entering the NFL from college have never had to learn how to buy in as a blocker. In this offense, you go from being the primary receiver in college to always needing to block linebackers.
The only chance left for Winters and Graham was to earn the third linebacker position, which is on the strong side and entails mainly taking on blockers and performing dirty work. Furthermore, there is no way to replicate the physical transition from college to the pros at the tight end.
The previous year’s Niners draft class included long-term players. Oren Burks and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles seem to have been replaced by Graham and Winters. Ross Dwelley’s place should be taken by the tight ends.
Brown has star potential when he plays with this front seven. And Moody’s selection will get better every year if he misses no more than four kicks in a season for the following ten years.
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