Isaac Gerendo and Ricky Pearsall will pitch against the Cowboys as the rookies continue to shine for the 49ers.

Neville E. Gard-Imagne Images

With a roster as deep and talented as the one the San Francisco 49ers have had in recent seasons, they haven’t always had the need to get wholesale contributions from all of their rookies. But with the roster decimated by injuries this year, all of the 49ers’ rookies need to play significant roles — and they continue to step up when needed.

Every member of the 49ers’ 2024 draft class has made their presence known at some point this season, with the exception of offensive lineman and sixth-round pick Jarrett Kingston, who did not make the initial 53-man roster. In Sunday’s 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys, it was wide receiver and first-round pick Ricky Piersall and running back/fourth-round pick Isaac Gerendo who had to step up, and they both did just that. Pearsall had four catches for 38 yards and ran for 39 yards, and Gerendo finished with 14 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Pearsall made his NFL debut a week ago after missing time recovering from a gunshot wound, while Guerendo hasn’t always been needed in the offense due to the emergence of Jordan Mason, who has taken over most of the carries while Christian McCaffrey recovers from Achilles tendinitis. . But with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk out for the season with a knee injury and Mason suffering a shoulder injury on Sunday night, Piersall and Gerendo needed to make their mark and play major roles in helping the 49ers to a win over the Cowboys. .

“This is a heck of a rookie class,” linebacker Fred Warner said Sunday night. “I don’t think you can talk about it enough.”

Guerendo’s contribution in particular proved vital on Sunday night. Guerendo saw just 12 carries in the first five weeks of the season, but over the last three games he has shown that he can be counted on when needed after rushing for 99 yards on 10 carries in the Week 6 win over the Seahawks before than to hold the ball. performing duties in Mason’s absence against the Cowboys.

“I’m really happy for him and the way he comes to work every day and what he has on his shoulder,” quarterback Brock Purdy said of Guerendo after the win. “Humble dude – he always asks questions and wants to make sure he’s doing everything right. So for him to do what he’s doing now for our team, I’m really happy for him. And I understand – being a new guy coming in with big names and everything, you can be in awe in a way, but he doesn’t care – he grabs the ball and runs hard, so I appreciate that about him.”

It was initially difficult to know what to expect from Guerendo as a running back this season, given the depth of the 49ers’ backfield and the fact that he missed an extended period of time in the preseason with a hamstring issue. But with McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) and now Mason dealing with injuries, Guerendo has been forced into action and now looks ready for whatever the 49ers ask of him.

“I think he learned from every shot he got,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the win. “He had a couple of runs earlier in the year that he did well, but you know we rate him pretty hard, things are pretty tough. He had a couple runs for four yards and we thought he could have run for seven yards. pretty hard on him and then you watch him apply it in training. Everything we’ve really pushed him to do, he’s very coachable. He’s not a sensitive guy, he’s very detailed and very prepared for a newbie. not too big for him. “He didn’t play much in pre-season, but once he got better there and throughout the year, I feel like he’s getting better every week.”

Kerry Guerendo may be downsized with McCaffrey’s return, but he doesn’t seem concerned.

“He tried his best to come back,” Guerendo said of McCaffrey in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area on Sunday. “I can’t wait for him to come back. He’s a great guy with a lot to learn from. So being able to ask him as many questions as possible, whatever my role is, I just continue to embrace it.”

Pearsall, on the other hand, is likely just the beginning of what will be an expanded starting role for the 49ers due to Aiyuk’s injury. Luckily, he’s adjusting quickly, telling reporters that he made a big leap from last week to this week by spending more time working with Purdy in training.

“Much more comfortable,” said Pearsall, who also missed time in the preseason while battling hamstring and shoulder problems. “I think I will become even more comfortable in the coming weeks. I only had four full speed workouts in total because you’ll only really have two full speed workouts during the week, so that’s just the beginning. from here.”

The 49ers had one rookie earn a full-time starting role in safety and third-round pick Dominic Puney, and another filled in for an injured starter (Talanoa Hufanga) at safety and fourth-round pick Malik Mustafa. Cornerback and second-round pick Renardo Green also made an impact, while fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing was one of the team’s return specialists and linebacker and seventh-round pick Tatum Bethune played a role on special teams. Add Pearsall and Guerendeau to the mix, and this year’s draft is invaluable in every way.

“We came into this year thinking it would be very difficult for a lot of new guys to earn starting positions, which is exactly where our team was,” Shanahan said. “But we believed they would give us really good depth. You hope you get lucky and all that and we don’t have to get to that point, but we don’t have that in all areas. And fortunately, a lot of these guys Players showed that in the preseason, and when their number was called, they all showed up and got the job done, and they all continue to get better.”

Now that the 49ers are 4-4 and leading the NFC West heading into the second half of the season, they will be hoping the best is yet to come from their rookie class. That may be the case, whether the team gets lucky with injuries or not.

“It’s very hard to play as a rookie in the NFL,” Warner said. “And it was amazing to see all these guys playing at such a high level now. And they all came with the right mindset, following everyone’s lead, and we will really need them in the tournament.” second half of the season.”