Which rookies can we expect to contribute early?

Life in the NFL moves pretty quickly. After months of preview and conjecture, the 2021 NFL Draft is in the books. Now, after a day to catch our breath, we’re back in the conjecture business. This time, Kyle Posey and I looked at which of the 49ers’ eight draft picks have a chance to contribute to the team next year in the Niners Nation Draft Recap podcast. The first choice was easy for KP:

“Trey Sermon is going to be a stud in this offense. He is very good. He’s actually a lot better of a receiver than he’s given credit for...and not just your typical screen passes. He’s going to be a bruiser. I’ve seen him run over guys...He’s agile, he has a burst, and he doesn’t take square shots. He doesn’t take the big hits. That’s going to allow him to instantly be the be backup. I would say he’s instantly RB2, even over Jeff Wilson. Raheem Mostert’s clock is ticking. He might not be around for very much longer at all.”

Mostert’s age and issues staying on the field have been well documented, and with he and Jeff Wilson both being unrestricted free agents in 2022, you had to figure replacements were coming sooner rather than later.

In addition to Sermon, Kyle named two other positions where the 49ers can expect to get early contributions from the incoming rookie class. Check out today’s Niners Nation podcast to find out the other two. It’s available for you here, there, and everywhere.

Other topics in today’s episode

• Why the 49ers should play Trey Lance right from the word go next year
• Why Mike McGlinchey could look a whole lot better in 2021
• The 49ers may have found their return man next year as well