Thursday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks was a case of "next man up" for the San Francisco 49ers, who had a number of key players unavailable due to injuries.
In this case, the task of being the next man up in that game fell largely to the players from the team's 2024 draft class, who wound up delivering beyond expectations.
Cornerback and second-round pick Renardo Green was called upon with starter Charvarius Ward inactive due to a knee injury, while fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha drew a start at safety due to Talanoa Hufanga being placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury. Green stepped up with a fourth quarter interception off quarterback Geno Smith that stopped the Seahawks' momentum and led to a touchdown that gave the 49ers a 29-17 lead, while Mustapha delivered a key early game moment when he picked off a Smith pass to stop a possible scoring drive. Meanwhile, running back Isaac Guerendo was forced into extended action later in the game after starter Jordan Mason left due to a shoulder injury and finished with a season-best 10 carries for 90 yards, 76 of them coming on a late fourth quarter run that helped seal a 36-24 49ers win.
On top of that, linebacker and seventh-round pick Tatum Bethune recovered a Seahawks fumble on a kickoff that helped set up a field goal, while third-round pick Dominick Puni, who has quickly become a key piece of the offensive line as the starter at right guard, produced a block that set Guerendo free on his decisive run.
Add in the fact that Thursday's game was a crucial one for the 49ers, who came into the night at 2-3 and were coming off a disappointing home loss against the Arizona Cardinals, and the rookies wound up producing one of the biggest clutch performances of the season so far.
"I can't say enough about it. So big, so big," linebacker Fred Warner said after the game. "We talked about during the week it being a must win and all those type of things and the gravity of the game and to have your young guys, rookies coming in and making those type of plays to help win a game -- really happy for them, happy for our team, finding a way to win. And, yeah, it was great seeing them do that."
The 2024 draft class has produced positive vibes for the 49ers since arriving in the Bay Area ("Kind of right away in the preseason they were popping," defensive end Nick Bosa said Thursday), and on Thursday they collectively had their breakout moment. All of their big plays were needed for the 49ers to come out of Seattle with a win, and their presence was very much appreciated by veterans on both sides of the ball.
"It was awesome," quarterback Brock Purdy said. "Just seeing Renardo get his interception, Malik on the defensive side, man, that always fires us up on the offense. And then obviously Isaac getting in at the end and pulling away, sort of like a little throwback memory of when Jordan Mason got in a couple years ago and he had his run at the end. But for those guys to step in, it's the NFL, this ain't college and it's the real deal. You're playing against the best of the best. And so for those guys to show up on Thursday night, a primetime game like that, it means a lot to all of us as a team and them showing that. So we all got their backs and we're going to continue to grow together."
Guerendo in particular had been a player who came into Thursday's game waiting his turn for a chance to shine due to Mason's emergence as the feature back following injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell. His 76-yard run showed the breakaway ability that was part of the reason the 49ers liked him enough to select him in Round 4, and it couldn't have come at a more important time in the game as the Seahawks just scored a touchdown and had three timeouts in their pocket with less than two minutes remaining.
"You know when they're going to really commit to stopping the run and try to get in those eight-man fronts," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "We got a good bounce read where we got outside and usually when there's not two safeties there, which I don't think there were, you break them and he's got the speed to do it."
As mentioned, adding to that play was the block from Puni, who continued to show he's got the potential to be a 49ers starter for years to come. Left tackle Trent Williams sang Puni's praises after the game after finding out the rookie was playing a new position as an NFL player.
"That's amazing," Williams said. "I didn't know he didn't play right guard in college, so I just learned something. Which is crazy because he literally has the makings of a Pro Bowl Pro player at that position. But he's a godsend, man. He's a really, really good kid. Really, really professional. He gained his teammates respect just by the way he carried himself."
In addition to Green, Puni, Mustapha, Guerendo, and Bethune, the 49ers have gotten contributions this season from fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing as a return specialist. Only wide receiver and first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, who is recovering from a gunshot wound, and offensive lineman and sixth-round pick Jarrett Kingston, who didn't make the 53-man roster, stand out as players who haven't made their mark from the 2024 draft class, and Pearsall should get his chance as soon as he is declared ready to play.
"We've got a lot of great guys," Mustapha said Thursday night. "We've got a guys who have really bought in to what we can achieve. And we still haven't really seen from Ricky either. There's more left on the table, and you just see us getting more comfortable. We're just getting our opportunity and we're making the most out of it."
Even without any playing time yet from Pearsall, the crop of 49ers rookies is clearly trending upward after Thursday's game. Perhaps it will prove to be a sign of even better things to come.
"When I look at this rookie class and we see the guys that we have, these guys care," Mustapha said. "We represent the 49ers' mission and common goal that everybody wants to share. This is just one step in the right direction."
