Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. raised questions about the San Francisco 49ers' draft choices, starting with wide receiver Ricky Pearsall at No. 31 overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. His critique extended to the team's second-round pick, former Florida State cornerback Renardo Green.
"This was the biggest reach of Round 2, by far," Kiper stated in his analysis of the winners, losers, and head-scratchers from Day 2 of the draft.
Kiper did not expect to hear Green's name called for at least another couple of rounds.
"I graded Green as more of a fourth- or fifth-round pick," Kiper elaborated. "He is No. 143 on my Big Board and is my No. 21 corner. My pal Louis Riddick called Green the best press-man cornerback in this class, but when I watched his 2023 tape, I saw too much grabbing on routes."
Kiper expressed skepticism about Green's playing style transitioning effectively to the NFL, a league where officials tend to protect wide receivers more than they might at the collegiate level.
"Green led the ACC with 13 pass breakups, but I'm not sure he's going to be a starter at the next level," Kiper commented.
Despite Kiper's reservations, Green believes the 49ers have acquired a determined football player with considerable potential.
"You're getting a dog, a tenacious football player, an instinctive, athletic football player, and a versatile, smart football player," Green remarked during a Zoom interview with reporters after being drafted.
However, Kiper did offer some praise for the 49ers' subsequent selection of former Kansas offensive lineman Dominick Puni with the No. 86 overall pick, following a trade that moved them up eight spots.
Acknowledging Puni's shortcomings, Kiper noted, "Puni played some left tackle in college, but he's a little undersized to stick there in the NFL. He plays with fire, though, and I love his game as a run-blocker."
Nobody's perfect. Did you find a mistake in this article? Report it.
Do not use the comments to notify us of errors in the article. Editors may not see it. Instead, report errors here.
More San Francisco 49ers News
49ers were impressed by this Renardo Green performance
By David Bonilla
May 1
The New York Giants made wide receiver Malik Nabers the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Fifty-eight picks later, the San Francisco 49ers selected cornerback Renardo Green in the second round.
Green earned a career-high 86.4 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus last year, with opposing quarterbacks posting a mere 75.0 passer rating when targeting him. He kicked off the season with an impressive performance in Week 1, where he was tasked with containing Nabers and preventing him from taking over the game.
Nabers finished the contest with six receptions for 67 yards in a 45-24 loss to Florida State. Only two of those receptions for a total of 20 yards came from the five targets against Green, who also managed to secure an
Mel Kiper, Jr., of ESPN, has covered the NFL Draft for decades. Each year, he hands out his draft grades after the draft is over, grading each team on how well they performed, in his estimation. There were a couple of moments in the 2024 draft in which Kiper said the San Francisco 49ers reached for a player. I expected Kiper's opinion of the 49ers' draft to be lower than the B- he gave them. But a B-, while it isn't great, isn't terrible either.
You can't genuinely grade a draft before the class has a chance to play even one game. It takes time to see what each player will do. That
Post-draft power ranking: 49ers' selection of Ricky Pearsall 'isn't the reach some want to make it'
By David Bonilla
Apr 29
The San Francisco 49ers' choice of Ricky Pearsall caught the attention of fans and analysts alike. While the receiver wasn't widely known among most 49ers fans, who expected the team to use the No. 31 pick on an offensive lineman, Pearsall is quickly garnering support from the fanbase as further details emerge about his work ethic and on-field impact.
"You're getting a good one," Pearsall recently assured The Faithful. "You're getting one that's going to be dedicated, and that's going to represent the organization well, and the name on the back of my jersey. So, you're going to get everything out of me."
NFL Media's Eric Edholm recently
NFL.com: 49ers' selection of Ricky Pearsall adds 'smooth' separator out wide
By David Bonilla
May 1
While many were surprised to hear wide receiver Ricky Pearsall's name called during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, NFL.com's deputy editor, Gennaro Filice, wasn't among them.
Filice handed out his draft grades for the NFC West, and while the San Francisco 49ers earned the lowest marks of the group, it was still a respectable "B-" mark.
"The first-round selection of Ricky Pearsall took many by surprise, but not this keyboard jockey!" Filice wrote. "I had the Florida wideout coming off the board in Round 1 in my final
