The San Francisco 49ers have not played up to their standard so far this season, but, with their campaign at the halfway mark, there are still several players whose performances in 2024 have been worthy of significant recognition.
While the 49ers have been shorn of the services of Christian McCaffrey for the first eight games and will have to cope without Brandon Aiyuk for the rest of the year, some of the biggest stars have still shone brightly. On top of that, they have gotten extremely encouraging play from their rookie class.
MVP and Defensive Player of the Year – Fred Warner
The biggest constant during an underwhelming start to the season for the 49ers has been their All-Pro middle linebacker, who has been a splash play machine as he has authored a strong Defensive Player of the Year resume to this point.
Warner has four forced fumbles and two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, while he is second among all defenders in Sports Info Solutions’ points saved metric in pass defense.
The fourth-highest graded defender in the league by Pro Football Focus, Warner has been one of the best players in football through nine weeks, and he stands head and shoulders above the rest of the contenders for the 49ers’ team MVP at the halfway point.
Offensive Player of the Year – George Kittle
Even in a year in which things have been more difficult for the 49er offense, there are several players who merited consideration for this tag, including running back Jordan Mason and wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who have stepped up admirably to fill in for injured players.
But the most consistent performer has been tight end Kittle, who is already up to 503 receiving yards and six touchdowns and leads all players at his position with at least 10 targets in yards per route run with 2.49.
With quarterback Brock Purdy deprived of the gravity of McCaffrey in the passing game and now robbed of his favorite target in Aiyuk, Kittle’s reliability has proven critical for San Francisco. He will continue to have a huge role to play down the stretch if the Niners are to have a hope of returning to the Super Bowl.
Offensive Rookie of the Year – Dominick Puni
With Ricky Pearsall only making his debut in Week 7, Isaac Guerendo emerging in recent weeks and Jacob Cowing scarcely involved in the offense, Puni essentially had no competition, but he is still fully deserving of this title at the halfway point.
Puni has removed the right guard position from the list of problem areas for San Francisco, producing outstanding play in pass protection while also outperforming expectations as a run blocker. He has been a home run to this point as a third-round pick.
Defensive Rookie of the Year – Renardo Green
There are two very compelling candidates for the title of best defensive rookie, with both Green and fourth-round safety Malik Mustapha catching the eye with their performances in the secondary in recent weeks.
They each had an interception in the 49ers’ Week 6 win over the Seattle Seahawks, with Mustapha stepping up and filling in extremely well for Talanoa Hufanga at safety after the former All-Pro tore ligaments in his wrist.
Mustapha has demonstrated some impressive instincts in coverage and outstanding physicality as an open-field tackler, yet I’m giving the edge to Green for the second-round corner’s extremely stingy play defending the pass, which sees him rank sixth among corners with at least 10 targets in Expected Points Added allowed per target. Both he and Mustapha should be mainstays in the defensive backfield for years to come.