Last season’s remarkable finish by 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy threw a curveball into the Offensive Rookie of the Year discussion. A race dominated all year by Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III, Saints wide receiver Chris Olave and eventual winner Jets WR Garrett Wilson suddenly had a new contender who played the sport’s most important position.
Ultimately a six game sample wasn’t enough to get Purdy the award. He finished third in the voting though after completing 67.1 percent of his throws for 1,374 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions while holding a 5-0 record as a starter in the regular season.
His unlikely rise into the awards discussion got us wondering whether the 49ers could see another rookie make the jump this year. San Francisco didn’t pick until No. 87 in the draft, which certainly dampens their chances, but Purdy was the final pick in the 2022 draft. He had the longest of odds and still carved out a space among the league’s best offensive rookies last season.
Lets run through this year’s crop of 49ers draft picks and put them in order from most to least likely to land in the rookie of the year conversation:
1
DB Ji'Ayir Brown
Brown gets the top spot here because he’s the most likely to have a significant role in Year 1. Getting on the field is the biggest key to being in the ROY mix. Brown may not be a starter, but it’s easy to see how his skill set will earn him plenty of playing time as a third safety. His penchant for creating turnovers gives him a chance to fill the stat sheet on a good defense. Both of those factors give him a shot to shoehorn his way into the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation.
2
DE Robert Beal Jr.
The 49ers didn’t select Beal until the fifth round (No. 173 overall), which doesn’t help his odds. However, he plays a premium position where San Francisco doesn’t have a ton of depth. Racking up sacks is an easy way to get some DROY votes. If Beal can step up right away and grab a prominent rotational role it would give him an opportunity to make a name for himself among the higher-profile draft picks.
3
LB Dee Winters
There’s a world where Winters, a sixth-round pick, does a little bit of everything for the 49ers. He could grab the starting Sam linebacker job and utilize some of his pass rushing ability to help stuff the stat sheet. The pass rush factor will be key though, because just tallying numbers as a SLB won’t be enough. Winters had 12.5 sacks at TCU, including 7.5 in his final season.
4
CB Darrell Luter Jr.
Luter is in a similar spot to Beal, a fellow fifth-round pick. He plays a premium position where San Francisco doesn’t have a ton of depth. Luter could conceivably steal a starting job or land in a starting role early in the year. His ball production in his final two years at South Alabama (22 pass breakups, 5 interceptions) suggest he’ll be around the ball plenty – a huge piece of a CB getting DROY votes.
5
LB Jalen Graham
Graham, a seventh-round selection, could win the starting Sam LB job and follow in Dre Greenlaw’s footsteps as a SLB who eventually moves into the Will LB role if/when it’s vacant. Former 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan told Matt Barrows of the Athletic that there’s untapped pass rush potential for Graham, who had just 2.0 sacks at Purdue. If that’s the case and he produces in that area, he would climb up this list.
6
TE Brayden Willis
Willis was one of three seventh-round picks for the 49ers and the second of two tight ends. He may not have much of a role as a rookie, and his inclusion in the offensive ROY conversation will likely require unavailability of players ahead of him on the depth chart. However, he’s really good after the catch and if he winds up carving out a big role he could put up some numbers. Winning OROY as a tight end is nigh impossible though unless he’s prime George Kittle out of the gate, which is … unlikely.
7
TE Cameron Latu
The 49ers used their final of three third-round choices (No. 101 overall) to take Latu out of Alabama. He may have a bigger role than Willis right away, but he’s not as explosive as a pass catcher. Perhaps if he lands a TE2 role out of camp and catches a bunch of touchdowns, but even then it’ll be hard to get into the OROY conversation.
8
WR Ronnie Bell
Bell has two big problems. First, it’s hard to win this award as a wide receiver. Saints WR Chris Olave caught 72 balls for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games last year and didn’t crack the top three in voting. Second, there are a ton of bodies in front of him on the depth chart and he has an uphill climb just to make the roster. If Bell is in the OROY conversation it means he’s either Jerry Rice, or the 49ers have some serious issues at WR.
9
K Jake Moody
He’s a kicker.
