The San Francisco 49ers drafted eight players—five on offense and three on defense. We've already seen the draft grades from the "experts," which vary widely, ranging from an "A-" to another ranking the 49ers' draft class as the second worst in the NFL.
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One opinion that carries significant weight among fans is that of Brian Baldinger, the former offensive lineman turned analyst. On Monday morning, he joined 95.7 The Game to share his insight into several of San Francisco's new rookies.
Baldinger acknowledged that the 49ers boast one of the best rosters in the league, making it challenging for any rookie to make an immediate impact. However, the analyst sees potential in this draft class.
WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida
Round 1, Pick 31
"I had him as my fifth-best receiver in this draft," Baldinger declared. "When I watch him, I interviewed him a couple of weeks ago on the NFL Network, and I just said to him, I'm like, 'Dude, you're always open. Like, what's the deal?' He runs these over routes in the SEC, nobody's bumping him. He's an elite tester. He catches everything. To me, he's just a bigger, faster Julian Edelman. He can just rule the middle of the field. He's an amazing player. Great prospect."
Baldinger is excited to witness the chemistry that develops between Pearsall and third-year quarterback Brock Purdy.
"I think there'll be an instant love affair," Baldinger shared. "I don't know how any quarterback couldn't love his game because when you have to throw the ball over the middle of the field, and that's where [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] loves to attack, you better have some tough people. Now, we have seen tremendous toughness from Deebo [Samuel], obviously, and from Brandon [Aiyuk] over the last two years, but you've got to be tough over the middle.
"Brock is smart enough to know he's not going to hang you out to dry over the middle. But these balls are going, these dig routes are coming over the middle of the field at you, and they're layered throws. And this guy looks like he's got zero fear in the middle of the field, so there's going to be trust there."
Baldinger admits that the Pearsall addition didn't address a current need. However, the selection may represent the forward-looking 49ers addressing a future need.
"I think this is a pick to keep this offense humming," Baldinger declared. "Typically, when you draft a first-round player that isn't a need pick, if you keep Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo, if you keep those guys, it's not a need pick. But you're saying, 'We're going to move on. We're going to move on from one of them, and we just draft a replacement.'
"I mean, if that was Aiyuk or Deebo, that's what I would say to myself. They've drafted my replacement. Now whether he can do that or not, nobody knows. ... But if I was one of those guys, I'd say my replacement is in the building."
With the 49ers focused on signing Aiyuk to a contract extension, some believe Pearsall represents a replacement for Samuel or Jauan Jennings. The latter is set to be an unrestricted free agent next year.
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CB Renardo Green, Florida State
Round 2, Pick 32, Overall 64
"Renardo Green, you watch him against [former LSU WR] Malik Nabers, press man coverage, he's got no fear going out there and just pressing guys," Baldinger said. "I believe that's a position of need for the 49ers."
OL Dominick Puni, Kansas
Round 3, Pick 23, Overall 86
"Puni is a guy that played up his last year at Kansas," Baldinger remarked. "I don't know if he's a guard or a tackle. Maybe he could play both. I think he's 6-5 and change. He looks big out there. When you watch him play, he looks like a big body that moves pretty decent. He's got Polynesian power to him. I like him."
Baldinger added, "He's a swing guy that can step in right now, compete for a guard spot, compete for a tackle spot. I think he's got that ability to start this year, whether it's right guard, right tackle, or if he can't beat those guys out, he can dress on Sundays and be a swing guy to start right away. But, like I said, he just looks big and powerful when he steps on the field."
S Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest
Round 4, Pick 24, Overall 124
"When I watch him, he's just an aggressive tackler," Baldinger said. "He looks like he can come out of the sky and blow you up. He's coming full speed. There's no slowdown in his game. He's coming to hit you. And he had four forced fumbles at Wake Forest. He jars the ball loose, and he jolts you.
"But he tested really, really well. Not the tallest guy, but he's thick. And I just thought, they got [Talanoa] Hufanga in the fifth round [in 2021]. They're getting Mustapha in the fourth round.
"It's hard to keep safeties healthy in this business because of what they are asked to do and how physical you've got to play. But they've had a long, long history of success of drafting safeties, and I think this guy, like [Ji'Ayir] Brown last year, I think he's a really good player."
RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville
Round 4, Pick 29, Overall 129
"Look, they drafted a really fast back a couple of years ago out of Louisiana (Elijah Mitchell)," Baldinger said. "This was the fastest back in the draft (4.33-second 40-time at the NFL Scouting Combine). He didn't have a great career. He had a great last game against USC at Louisville in a bowl game where he exploded."
Guerendo rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns, averaging seven yards per carry in the loss to the Trojans. He also caught five passes for 42 receiving yards in the bowl game.
Baldinger continued, "And you're like, 'Where was that the other three years?' But he runs a [4.33] at 220 pounds, and he catches the ball just fine."
WR Jacob Cowing, Arizona
Round 4, Pick 35, Overall 135
"The guy played, I don't know, 50-something games," Baldinger shared. "He could do just about anything. I don't know what his role is going to be, but yeah, I could see some contributions from this draft."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Baldinger below.
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