The San Francisco 49ers' 2024 season hasn't gone as planned. Once filled with Super Bowl aspirations, the team sits at 6-9, eliminated from playoff contention, and is looking toward the offseason to address roster challenges.
However, there is a silver lining. The 49ers' rookie class has gained invaluable experience this season, logging significant in-game snaps, partly due to an injury-depleted roster.
General manager John Lynch spoke about the bright spots of the year during an interview with Bay Area radio station KNBR on Friday, expressing pride in the contributions of the team's first-year players.
"Yeah, really proud of the guys," Lynch said. "We had a feel right away, the football character, the overall character of this group, was really special, and we had a lot of guys that we felt could handle [the pressure] and would be good players for us for a long time. But also, had the ability to come in and help us right away."
While Lynch didn't anticipate this rookie class stepping into prominent roles so early, they rose to the occasion and made an impact in an otherwise challenging season.
Rookie standouts
The 49ers' first-round pick, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, overcame early adversity after recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest in August.
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"I think Ricky's going to be a really good football player," Lynch said. "We know that, and I think we would have seen a lot more of that had he not had what happened to him."
Offensive lineman Dominick Puni has been another standout, immediately starting at right guard and performing at a high level.
"He's been a plug-and-play guy, and he's played at a really high level," Lynch shared. "And I think, Dom, seeing the realities of an NFL season, the amount of games, the endurance that you have to have, that you have to work up, but he's been tremendous for us."
Safety Malik Mustapha has been a key contributor on defense and special teams, playing 662 defensive snaps—an impressive 76% of the total defensive workload this season.
"Malik has been tremendous for us all year," Lynch praised. "He's going to be a force. He's an explosive player. He sees the game well. When he sees it, he goes and gets it. It's everything you could ask for in a draft choice."
Building for the future
Lynch also highlighted other promising players like wide receiver Jacob Cowing, who he believes has explosive potential, and running back Isaac Guerendo, who has stepped into a starting role due to injuries. The common traits among this rookie class? Toughness and speed.
"[LB] Tatum Bethune is coming back this year," Lynch added. "Even a guy who wasn't drafted, like Evan Anderson, playing at a high level for us in a rotational defensive tackle [role] for us."
Lynch highlighted the need to maintain a roster balance between experienced veterans and young talent to stay competitive.
"So, all in all, these guys are made of the right stuff, and they're going to help us into the future," Lynch said. "And you've got to stay young in this league. You've got to constantly churn your roster. It's a young man's league, and we like to have a good mix of really polished vets who have seen it all, and then, young guys. And these guys have done a great job of kind of infusing our team with some of that youth and energy that you need."
You can listen to Lynch's entire interview below.