Which 49ers Rookie Will Make the Biggest Impact in 2024?

The 49ers have such a talented roster, there's no guarantee any rookie will make a big impact this year. But if one were to assert him and earn a big role right away, who would it be?

First-round picky Ricky Pearsall probably has the talent to play right away, considering he's a highly-regarded prospect who will turn 24 in September. But unless Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel or Jauan Jennings gets injured, Pearsall most likely will be the 49ers' fourth wide receiver as a rookie, and last season their fourth receiver (Ray Ray McCloud) caught 12 passes and returned punts. Expect Pearsall to take McCloud's role at first.

Second-round pick Renardo Green may not have received draft grades that were as high as Pearsall's but Green probably has a better chance to play this year. Last week, defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said he intends to play Green at nickelback, which means Green could play roughly 70 percent of the 49ers defensive snaps if he wins that job.

Last season, the 49ers' nickelback was Isaiah Oliver at first, but he was so bad that the 49ers benched him and moved Deommodore Lenoir to nickel. And he played that position well. But it's possible they moved Lenoir inside simply out of necessity and would prefer to keep him outside. Perhaps Lenoir would perform even better if he could focus on one position instead of two.

Third-round pick Dominick Puni also has a chance to start at right guard, but he never played that position in college, so he might take some time to learn it. As opposed to Green, who played some nickelback at Florida State.