The San Francisco 49ers have yet to get off to the best start in 2024. At times, the team has played poorly, especially in the second half when trying to protect leads. Of course, injuries have played a factor, but the team hasn't looked quite right for much of the season.
However, there is one area in which the 49ers have been impressive—their rookie class. So far, the 49ers have had a lot of productivity from their first-year guys, including RG Dominic Puni, WR Jacob Cowing, CB Renardo Green, RB Isaac Guerendo, and S Malik Mustapha. Even LB Tatum Bethune and undrafted DT Evan Anderson have made some plays. And now, their first-round pick, WR Ricky Pearsall, is back. And with the season-ending injury to Brandon Aiyuk, Pearsall, who had three catches in his NFL debut, will be called on to help his team.
NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco spoke with NBC's Cris Collinsworth this week. Collinsworth will call the Sunday Night matchup between the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. In his conversation with Maiocco, Collinsworth spoke highly of some of the 49ers' rookies, namely a pair of rookie defensive backs.
"Everybody wants to play man coverage, and I think the 49ers have the ability to match up against almost anybody now," Collinsworth said. "And maybe that's something they wouldn't have done in the past. Renardo Green has made a huge difference back there. [Deommodore] Lenoir back there, [Charvarius] Ward back there, it gives them three legitimate man coverage kind of guys.
"It's a good defense that's going to be a lot better as Green comes in, too, because now they have the capability and we saw it a little bit against the Chiefs," Collinsworth said. "The whole game comes down to third down and five every single week and who wins those battles."
In the offseason, the 49ers added veteran CB Isaac Yaidom in free agency. Green recently replaced Yaidom and has looked good when he's played. He has not looked like a rookie corner, even coming up with a big interception in the 49ers win over the Seattle Seahawks two weeks ago.
Collinsworth also mentioned that Mustapha had impressed him so far. The rookie safety has flashed on game day, sometimes coming out of nowhere to deliver a big hit.
"I could not believe the way he played a week ago," Collinsworth said. "It was exciting to watch, kind of like [Talanoa] Hufanga and the way he played. It's so physical, until he got to Patrick Mahomes. I'm like, wait a minute, is this the same guy who's been wiping people out all day and he gets run over by the quarterback? What the heck happened out there?"
In addition to Green and Mustapha, Collinsworth mentioned Pearsall and Cowing, saying the 4th-round pick (Cowing) has lightning speed that can beat man coverage and take the top off the defense.
Regardless of what happens the rest of this season, the 49ers are expected to have an interesting offseason that could see the departure of some key players. And that makes these rookies even more critical.
Watch Maiocco's interview with Collinsworth:
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