The 49ers’ 2019 draft class could wind up swinging the team from fringe playoff contenders to legitimate Super Bowl threat.
There was only a three-game sample size before the bye week, but early returns on this year’s group of rookies is very good. Of the eight picks, five have already made contributions, and another is expected to when he returns from injury.
Here are our pre-bye week grades for the 49ers’ 2019 rookies:
DE Nick Bosa
The No. 2 overall pick hasn’t filled up the box score, but he’s been as good as advertised through his first three games. Bosa has one sack, but he’s narrowly missed three or four more while making regular visits to opposing backfields. Those misses will keep him from a perfect grade coming out the gate. He’s still recovering from an ankle injury in the preseason and should only get more dangerous as he gets healthier and more experienced in the pros.
Grade: A-
WR Deebo Samuel
Samuel’s been terrific before the bye week. He has 11 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown, while leading the team’s wide receivers with 14 targets. The most important thing for the No. 36 overall pick is his quickly growing rapport with Jimmy Garoppolo. The quarterback trusts him already, and Samuel’s numbers should continue to increase as he gets more targets down the field.
Grade: B+
WR Jalen Hurd
Hurd injured his back leading up to the second preseason game and hasn’t seen a snap in the regular season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan anticipates Hurd will be back after the bye week, and his return could unlock a whole new element of the offense. The third-round pick looked good in his limited preseason action, but we can’t issue a grade until we see how he’s utilized in a game that counts.
Grade: INC
P Mitch Wishnowsky
The 49ers needed Wishnowsky to be great after using a fourth-round pick on him. Fortunately for them, he’s only booted seven punts through three weeks. Former punter Bradley Pinion punted 13 times through three weeks a season ago. Of those seven punts, Wishnowsky has only had one touchback, and dropped three inside the 20. He’s also helped flip field position with a couple of 50-plus yard bombs.
Grade: A
LB Dre Greenlaw
Greenlaw earned the starting Sam linebacker job out of camp and has done a nice job while playing 45 percent of the snaps. He’s also been a good special teams player and is third on the team in special teams snaps played. Greenlaw has eight tackles this season, and should continue making big-time contributions on special teams and in the base defense. The 49ers will take that from a fifth-round pick.
Grade: C+
OL Justin Skule
This would’ve gotten an INC prior to Joe Staley’s injury. A broken left fibula for the starting left tackle forced Skule into action in Week 2, and into a start for Week 3. He had a good start to the game and held his own against a good Steelers pass rush. A couple of late penalties marred an otherwise good starting debut for Skule. The sixth-round pick has some work to do, but he wasn’t a disaster and that’s a good start for a late Day 3 selection.
Grade: B-
