San Francisco 49ers 2024 Predictions: Jacob Cowing, Isaac Guerendo shine in the Bay

The San Fransico 49ers made it to the Super Bowl last year, and this year they hope to take it all. They will look to take the crown in 2024 with an improved pass rusher, and one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL. In this article, we make 12 predictions on how the 49ers season will unfold, and a couple of 2025 offseason moves the team will make.

1. The San Francisco 49ers will win the NFC West for the third straight time

One of the safest bets in terms of being a division champion is the San Fransico 49ers winning the NFC West. This is due to a combination of them being an elite team and the division being weak overall. The 49ers are led by the best offenses in the NFL having led the league in total offense last year, and adding several dynamic playmakers in the 2025 NFL Draft. The other teams in the division are not Super Bowl contenders and the only team that could give the 49ers a challenge is the Los Angeles Rams.

2. San Francisco 49ers will make it to the NFC Championship game

While the 49ers will have another strong season, don’t look for them to make a return trip to the Super Bowl. This is because they will lose to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game, who will win in a shoutout 35-28.

San Francisco 49ers don't get much from their top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft

3. Ricky Pearsall will have a disappointing rookie season

The 49ers didn’t get much production from their 2023 rookie class, and I don’t expect them to get much from their first-round pick Ricky Pearsall this season. One of the big reasons for this is that at best he will be the team’s fourth leading receiver behind Brandon Aiyuk, Deebp Samuel Sr., and George Kittle. I also think the 49ers reached when they took him with the 31st overall pick, and they would have been better off taking either Keon Coleman or Adonai Mitchell.

4. Jacob Cowing will end up being a great value pick

While I think the 49ers may have reached for Pearsall they got great value with the selection of Jacob Cowing in the fourth round. I would not be surprised if he ends up with more production this season than Ricky Pearsall. The reason for this is his ability to use his 4.38 40-yard dash speed to stretch a defense.

5. Isaac Guerendo will have at least 900 total yards on the season

One of the other team’s fourth-round picks who should make a big contribution this season is running back Isaac Guerendo. In fact, I expect to him account for over 900 yards this season. A large chunk of those yards will be on special teams as he will be the team’s leading kickoff return man. In addition to being a threat on special teams the fastest running back in the 2024 NFL Draft is a home run threat as a runner and also averaged 11 yards on 22 receptions last year at Lousiville.

6. Concerns will arise if Brock Purdy is truly a franchise quarterback

While Brock Purdy is one of the feel good stories in the NFL, I still have concerns about if he is a true franchise quarterback. This is a question the team needs to address before they hand him out a big contract. My biggest concern with him is that he is a quarterback who has trouble producing at a high level when the play-action passing game is taken away. There are also questions about his arm strength and if he can consistently challenge a defense in the vertical passing game.

7. 49ers defense will finish in the top ten in sacks

Last season, the 49ers finished 14th in the NFL in sacks accounting for 2.7 a game. Look for that number to increase this year though mainly due to the addition of Leonard Floyd. I also expect them to finish in the top ten in sacks this season as new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen should be able to better utilize his pass rushers.

8. Leonard Floyd will lead the team in sacks

While Nick Bosa has led the team in sacks each of the past three seasons, look for new addition Leonard Floyd to lead the team this season. Floyd will lead the team in part due to his quickness off the ball which has allowed him to account for at least nine sacks each of the past four seasons. Another reason he will lead the team is that teams will still focus their blocking schemes on Bosa, which will mean teams will have to single-block Floyd more often.

9. The San Francisco 49ers will draft an offensive tackle in the first or second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

The 49ers showed a lot of interest in the 2024 offensive tackle class but didn’t draft a single one. The team will likely address that position early in the 2025 NFL Draft though, and will finally draft their eventual replacement for Trent Williams who will be 36 years old this season. A player to keep an eye on is Tyler Booker of Alabama.

10. Deebo Samuel will move on after the season

One player who will be playing his last season in San Fransico is wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The team showed that they will be moving on from either Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk when they took two wide receivers in the top four rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. I think the team will decide to stick with Aiyuk because he is younger, and because Samuel has missed significant time each of the past two seasons.