Isaac Guerendo and Ricky Pearsall take on the Cowboys as the rookies continue to shine for the 49ers

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With a roster as deep and talented as the San Francisco 49ers have had in recent seasons, it hasn't always been necessary for them to get comprehensive contributions from all of their rookie players. But with this year's roster decimated by injuries, all of the 49ers' rookies have had to play important roles – and they continue to deliver when it's called upon.

Every single member of the 49ers' 2024 draft class has made an impact at some point this season, with the exception of offensive lineman and sixth-round pick Jarrett Kingston, who didn't make the original 53-man roster. In Sunday night's 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys, it was wide receiver and first-round pick Ricky Pearsall and running back/fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo who had to step in, and both did just that. Pearsall contributed four catches for 38 yards and a 39-yard run, while Guerendo finished with 14 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Pearsall made his NFL debut a week ago after missing time while recovering from a shot, while Guerendo wasn't always needed on offense due to the emergence of Jordan Mason, who did the bulk of the running during Christian McCaffrey recovering from Achilles tendonitis. But with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk out for the season with a knee injury and Mason suffering a shoulder injury on Sunday night, Pearsall and Guerendo had to make their mark and play an important role in helping the 49ers win over the Cowboys.

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

Guerendo's contributions in particular proved crucial Sunday evening. Guerendo saw just 12 carries through the first five weeks of the season, but over the last three games he has shown he can be counted on when needed after rushing for 99 yards in a Week 6 win over the Seahawks Ran 10 runs before holding the ball running back duties in Mason's absence against the Cowboys.

“I'm really happy for him, the way he comes to work every day and the chip he carries on his shoulder,” quarterback Brock Purdy said after the win over Guerendo. “Humble guy – he’s always asking questions and wants to make sure he’s doing everything right. So if he's doing what he's doing for our team right now, I couldn't be happier for him. And I get it – being it.” As a rookie coming into the game with some big names, 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 .

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

“I think he learned something from every run he made,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the win. “There were a few runs at the beginning of the year where he ran quite well, but you know, we rate him pretty harshly, all of them pretty harshly. He had a couple of four-yard runs where we thought he could have gotten seven yards. We're going.” Pretty tough for him, and then you see how he puts that into practice. They're not too big for him. He didn't see much in the preseason, but after getting healthy there and over the course of this year, I feel like he's gotten better every week.

Guerendo's reach may dwindle with McCaffrey's return, but he doesn't seem to be worried about that.

“He worked hard to get 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 to learn from. So being able to ask him as many questions as I can, whatever my role is, I’m just going to continue to embrace that.”

Pearsall, on the other hand, is likely only at the beginning of a longer, more important role for the 49ers due to Aiyuk's injury. Luckily, he's adapting quickly, telling reporters he made a big jump from last week to this week after spending more time with Purdy in practice.

“Much more comfortable,” said Pearsall, who also missed time in preseason battling hamstring and shoulder problems. “I think I will feel even more comfortable in the coming weeks. I only did four full speed workouts in total because you can only really do two full speed workouts a week, so it only goes up from here.”

The 49ers have a rookie guard and third-round pick Dominick Puni winning a full-time starting role, and another as safety and fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha filling in for an injured starter (Talanoa Hufanga). Cornerback and second-round pick Renardo Green has also made an impact, while fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing has been one of the team's return specialists and linebacker and seventh-round pick Tatum Bethune has played a role on special teams. Add Pearsall and Guerendo, and this year's draft class is invaluable from top to bottom.

“Going into this year, we thought it was going to be very difficult for a lot of rookies to get starting spots right where our team was,” Shanahan said. “But we believed they would give us really good depth. You hope you have a bit of luck and stuff and don't have to get that far, but we didn't make it in all areas. And luckily a lot of these guys have it. “They showed it in pre-season and when their numbers were announced they all did their job and continue to get better.

With the 49ers now at 4-4 and sitting atop the NFC West heading into the second half of the season, they're hoping their rookie class can still bring out the best. That can be the case whether the team is luckier with injuries or not.

“It’s so hard to play in the NFL as a rookie,” Warner said. “And all these guys playing at such a high level right now, it’s amazing to see. And they all brought the right attitude and followed everyone's example, and we will desperately need them in the second half of the season.”