49ers' best, worst and most provocative picks from 2024 NFL Draft

With eight 49ers draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, Niner Noise looks at which three can be considered the best, worst and most provocative of the bunch.

The 2024 NFL Draft is in the books, and the San Francisco 49ers took a few more rookies than most people would have expected with eight selections becoming the newest players on the roster across the three days.

Read More: 49ers 2024 NFL Draft live pick-by-pick tracker (with grades)

But that's fine. We aren't here to talk about how many picks there are as much as to look at three of them.

Which was the best, the worst and most provocative pick of the bunch?

We won't waste time with any grandstanding, rather, let's take a look at which players stood out among San Francisco's selections.

Best Pick: Dominick Puni, Offensive Lineman, Kansas (Pick No. 86)

A lot of people think Dominick Puni will be a guard at the next level, and it very well could be the Niners see that, and that's why he drafted him. I have to say, however, that Puni can at the very least be a right tackle in the NFL with the size and arm length to potentially move to left tackle.

Puni played both guard and tackle at Kansas, but it was the latter for which he had his best success for the Jayhawks. He's a good size at 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds, and he has the physical attribute including the long arms needed for tackles in the NFL.

Worst case, he's a solid guard, but he could even start Week 1 at tackle if he shows he can do it well in camp.

This is a pick with real potential.

Worst Pick: Tatum Bethune, Linebacker, Florida State (Pick No. 251)

I don't want to be too harsh on this pick, given it's a late seventh-rounder. There is not such a thing as a bad pick at this juncture, as a lot of the picks here are glorified undrafted free agents that teams picking late want to claim exclusive rights to.

For that reason, I'm not going to say Tatum Bethune is a waste of a pick or anything silly like that, but there doesn't seem to be much upside to Bethune who was projected as a UDFA for the entire draft process.

Nothing too horrible here, I just wish that the pick was on someone with some upside.

Most Provocative: Ricky Pearsall, Wide Receiver, Florida (Pick No. 31)

We all knew who was going to fill this role. For the entire weekend, there were rampant rumors and speculation on whether or not wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was going to get traded, followed by rampant rumors and speculation on whether or not wide receiver Deebo Samuel was going to get traded.

When Ricky Pearsall ended up being the pick, said rumors exploded.

Fans were unfairly critical of Pearsall as a prospect, given he's a talented wide receiver who fits seamlessly into the 49ers system and was an early-to-middle second-rounder for the draft process. A slight reach, perhaps, but nothing egregious.

As we know, the 49ers elected not to trade either receiver, which means the team is going to have a loaded wide receiver room, or Aiyuk, Deebo, Pearsall and third-down specialist Jauan Jennings.

Exactly how Pearsall fits into this offense in 2024 is a guess for anyone, but he's certainly the most provocative pick of 2024.