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For the fourth time in five years, the San Francisco 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game in 2023. Under the guidance of head coach Kyle Shanahan, the Niners reached the Super Bowl for the second time during this stretch but still found themselves unable to take home a sixth Super Bowl ring.
Much of that team is back for the 2024 season and San Francisco also looked to reload in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team addressed many of its immediate needs in the early rounds while adding depth in the later rounds. Despite a solid draft, here are the three biggest mistakes the 49ers made in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Reaching on WR Ricky Pearsall
With uncertainty around Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, the 49ers needed to add depth at wide receiver in the draft. Aiyuk is a free agent in 2025 while Samuel has two years left on his current deal. Both players were involved in trade rumors throughout the offseason, but nothing concrete has materialized. The team also re-signed WR3 Jauan Jennings, who has a modest 963 receiving yards over three seasons.
The team addressed its need for a young pass-catcher by taking Florida wideout Ricky Pearsall with pick number 31. Pearsall was a bit of a reach for the Niners, coming in around WR10 while projecting as a mid-second-round pick in most mock drafts. The Florida product ended up being the sixth wide receiver on the board when several more talented players were still available at the position.
Adonai Mitchell — a 6-2 wideout with speed to burn and comparisons to George Pickens — was on the board and carried a late-first-round or early second-round projection. If San Francisco wanted to target another slot receiver, Ladd McConkey of Georgia was easily a better option than Pearsall.
Not adding an offensive lineman before the third round
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While the offensive line has historically been a strength for the 49ers, the 2023 version of the San Fran o-line was its weakest in years. Right tackle Colton McKivitz allowed nine sacks on the year while left guard Aaron Banks posted a Pro Football Focus Player Grade of 54.9 — putting him in the Below Average category. The team added two offensive linemen in the 2024 NFL Draft: Kansas guard Dominik Puni in the third round and USC guard Jarrett Kingston in round six. Puni could be a potential future starter but does not solve the team's current offensive line needs.
Oregon guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson was still available for the Niners in the first round while two-time All-American Christian Haynes of UConn would have been a good pick at the back end of the second round.
Overdrafting on CB Renardo Green
One paper, the Niners had a solid first three rounds — addressing needs at the offensive line, cornerback, and wide receiver positions. But San Francisco reached on Pearsall, waited too long to get Banks, and overdrafted on corner Renardo Green in the second round. Green failed to crack the top 100 in many big boards. He was possibly worth consideration as a late third-round pick but was hardly worth a second-rounder.
At pick number 64, other talented corners were on the board like Kentucky's Andru Phillips, or the Niners could have waited to the third round when Green likely would have still been available. While the team addressed one of its prominent needs, reaching to fill a position of need was a far too common theme for San Francisco in this draft.
