Which Rookie Will Make the Greatest Impact on the 49ers in 2023?

Given that the 49ers didn't pick until near the end of the third round, the odds of a rookie having an immediate impact is on the lower end of the spectrum.

The 2023 draft class of the San Francisco 49ers finds themselves in a bit of a bind.

With how tremendously stacked in elite talent that the 49ers have, any rookie looking to carve a role will find it to be a struggle. Kyle Shanahan tends to be impatient with rookies with little room for error. He will have to truly trust that a rookie is safe and can be impactful. Given that the 49ers didn't pick until near the end of the third round, the odds of a rookie having an immediate impact is on the lower end of the spectrum. 

Still, there is bound to be at least one that shows up and shows out in a positive manner to contribute during the season. It's been that way for the 49ers the last several years with Brock Purdy in 2022, Elijah Mitchell in 2021, Brandon Aiyuk in 2022, and Nick Bosa (you could throw in Deebo Samuel too) in 2019. So, which rookie will make the greatest impact on the 49ers in 2023? 

It has to be the kicker Jake Moody. Drafting him was perceived largely as a reach by the 49ers. And while that is probably true, Moody is likely to go down as the best third round pick the 49ers have made outside of Fred Warner. All of their third round picks end up as flops or have nothing more than a flash of strong performances. Moody at least is a kicker who impacts every game. He's a sure thing, especially considering the 49ers had no kicker, so it made sense to draft him.

Another rookie who I think is bold to take over Moody that can make the greatest impact is safety Ji'Ayir Brown. Yes, I know taking the first two draft selections is a cop out, but they are the most obvious choices. For Brown, it all depends on if he can start fairly early and replicate his ball-hawking skills in college to the pros. Doing that will put him around a similar impact as Moody.

But the reason Moody is the choice here is because he can have both a positive AND negative impact. What if he goes through a rough patch and the 49ers are forced to go for it on fourth down more often? So not only would he be missing kicks, but Shanahan would now have to operate the offense differently. That would a massive impact, one that is even greater than if Moody was amazing from over 50 yard field goal range. 

Who would you pick as your rookie to make a great impact?