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The Readiness of the 49ers Rookies to Take the Lead, According to Kyle Shanahan
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan exits the field following the game against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Santa Clara, California, USA. Credit must be given to Sergio

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan exits the field following the game against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Santa Clara, California, USA. Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images Must Be Credited.
In this narrative:
Los Angeles 49ersWhy Are the 49ers Quarterback Brock Purdy’s Stats Declining?—Kyle ShanahanCLARA SANTA— Everything is falling apart for the 49ers.

They have a 3-4 record and are missing half of their offensive line due to injuries. They will require a slew of rookies to take the lead if they want to have a successful season.

Wednesday, reporters wanted to know how head coach Kyle Shanahan felt about his rookies’ potential to step up. The 49ers’ public relations department has sent us this transcript of his remarks.

Q: I’m aware that a few rookies have already made significant contributions, and with all the injuries and everything, I imagine there will be even more in the future. How would you characterize the group’s overall confidence level, and how do you think they motivate each other to produce?

SHANAHAN: “I’ve really liked our rookie class. Right from the start, when they first joined OTAs, they were strong. During our time together at training camp, I was really pleased. Right now, I am. When it came time to draft, none of them actually lacked starting positions. But we were excited with how they practiced and everything and knew they’d give us some depth and now some are getting some opportunities because of injury and I’m glad we have a good group there. I have faith in their abilities, and they appear to be a close-knit team.

Q: When those other guys see a guy like Dominick Puni, who does step into a role pretty quickly, do you get the sense that those guys are like, “Hey, there is opportunity out here for me, even on a team that has a roster like this?”

It’s true, I do. I think, I mean with Puni, I don’t think he thought it the first week or so, or at least OTAs, and then you have two guys go down in the first four days of practice and it happens fast. So that’s a perfect example for everybody. You try to tell stories like that all the time to these guys. Don’t ever think it’s a redshirt year. There’s no such thing in this league. And it’s not just rookies, it’s the same for practice squad guys. You’re only, usually it’s one injury away, but sometimes it’s two, but it’s a matter of time. Some guys can get lucky and people stay healthy the whole time and they can really develop the right way. But usually in this league you rarely get that.”