5 biggest takeaways from 49ers' efforts in 2024 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
![San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch (L) and head coach Kyle Shanahan (R) San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch (L) and head coach Kyle Shanahan (R)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3456,h_1944,x_0,y_838/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/42/01hwgp97evyy72nqrz1r.jpg)
Takeaway No. 5: 49ers need a lot from 2024 NFL Draft class (eventually)
The 49ers' 2022 and 2023 draft classes have been fairly underwhelming so far with Ji'Ayir Brown and kicker Jake Moody emerging as the lone players from the last two years to provide a serious impact.
Over the Cap has the Niners at nearly $24 million over the 2025 salary cap, which means there'll inevitably be some cap casualties. And that doesn't even include Brandon Aiyuk potentially getting a new deal and what'll be a massive contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy.
Plus, looking at the list of pending free agents in 2025, it's likely San Francisco's roster that year will look drastically different than what fans will see this season.
Not hitting on a number of prospects over the last two years does hurt, but the 49ers were largely able to mitigate that by simply having a stacked roster.
That roster may not be quite as stacked in just over a year, though, meaning some hefty returns from this year's draft class is necessary to help keep the Niners in Super Bowl contention.
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