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San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft picks, analysis and rookie spotlight | NFL Draft | PFF

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San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft picks, analysis and rookie spotlight | NFL Draft | PFF


The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror. After a flurry of selections from April 25 to April 27, 257 players were selected to join the NFL.

With that, we give you our full recap of the San Francisco 49ers‘ draft, with analysis on every selection the team made during the weekend and an in-depth look at their top pick.

For more information on the players your favorite team drafted, it’s not too late to get the 2024 NFL Draft Guide, which includes expanded scouting reports, draft grades, offseason reports, unique advanced data, PFF grades and much more.


Click here for more draft tools:

2024 Mock Draft Simulator | 2024 Big Board | 2024 Draft Guide
2024 Player Profiles | 2024 Mock Drafts | NCAA Premium Stats

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2024 Draft Picks

Pearsall — The 49ers take Pearsall, a slot receiver from Florida who excelled during the pre-draft process. Pearsall was productive and reliable, and his measurables are up to NFL standards. He only dropped five passes since the beginning of 2020, which is tied for the fewest among Power Five receivers with at least 200 targets in that span. This pick could also add intrigue to trade rumors swirling around Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.

Green — Green, PFF’s 89th-ranked player in the class, had a spectacular season at Florida State. He posted a 90.0 PFF coverage grade in 2023. The strange part about the fit with the 49ers is that they are generally a zone-heavy defense. They do run a high rate of press coverage, though, so they may have a plan in place for Green’s role in their defense.

Puni — A powerful mauler in the run game, Puni started 27 games at left tackle over the past four seasons at Kansas but likely projects inside due to his desire to win in a phone booth as well as a lack of flexibility and inconsistent hand usage in his pass sets. He can help out at tackle in a pinch, offering the 49ers a nice depth piece with positional versatility in the third round.

Mustapha — Mustapha is coming off his best season in 2023, earning a 79.6 PFF grade. He was particularly impressive against the run, earning an 87.5 PFF run-defense grade, fifth among Power Five safeties.

Guerendo — Guerendo makes fast people look… not so fast. His 4.33-second 40-yard dash ranked first among running backs at the NFL scouting combine. He has the ability to make people miss once he reaches the second level of the defense. Guerendo is also a capable receiving threat out of the backfield, earning an 84.1 receiving grade in 2023.

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Cowing — This is a strong fit for Cowing and his skill set. He’s a very solid route runner and a lethal weapon in the red zone. He racked up nine receiving touchdowns in 2023, tied for second among FBS receivers, in large part due to his ability to win quickly. In the Shanahan-style offense, Cowing will not only be a tremendous threat in the passing game, but also a decoy defensive coordinators have to worry about in unique formations/motion concepts.

Kingston — Kingston was a solid pass blocker in college, at Washington State and then USC. He earned a 74.0-plus PFF pass-blocking grade in every season and allowed 17 quarterback pressures, including one sack, from 464 pass-blocking snaps this past season.

Bethune — Bethune flashes solid ability in coverage. He recorded two forced incompletions and an interception with the Seminoles in 2023. Bethune’s 76.0 PFF grade ranked 50th at the position in 2023.


Rookie Spotlight: WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida

Strengths:

• Nuanced and savvy route runner — always uses head/shoulder fake to create a little bit more separation.
• Quick off the line with good releases.
• Tough receiver who has some great receptions through contact.

Click here to see Ricky Pearsall’s 2024 NFL Draft profile!
Weaknesses:

• Agility is a bit stiff for a player of his size with his projected role.
• Was a decent vertical threat at the college level but likely won’t be based on straight-line speed in the NFL. Certain schemes could help him.

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The bottom line

Ultimately, Pearsall won’t intimidate defenders on the line of scrimmage, but he will once the ball is snapped. He is a ready-made slot receiver who can contribute early in his NFL career.



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Cruise reaches settlement with woman severely injured by robotaxi in San Francisco, report says

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Cruise reaches settlement with woman severely injured by robotaxi in San Francisco, report says


SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Cruise reached a settlement with a woman who was severely injured by one of the company’s robotaxis, according to a new report.

The exact terms of the agreement have not been revealed.

The woman was hit by a regular vehicle back October.

The impact threw her into the path of a driverless car at 5th and Market Streets in San Francisco.

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GM’s Cruise recalling all 950 robotaxis after SF pedestrian dragging incident

She was then pinned under the car as it attempted to pull over.

Cruise said the incident was caused by a software malfunction.

The incident led the DMV to suspend Cruise’s driverless taxi license in San Francisco.

Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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Britain expands AI safety institute to San Francisco amid scrutiny over regulatory shortcomings

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Britain expands AI safety institute to San Francisco amid scrutiny over regulatory shortcomings


An aerial view of the city of San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge in California, October 28, 2021.

Carlos Barria | Reuters

LONDON — The British government is expanding its facility for testing “frontier” artificial intelligence models to the United States, in a bid to further its image as a top global player tackling the risks of the tech and to increase cooperation with the U.S. as governments around the world jostle for AI leadership.

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The government on Monday announced it would open a U.S. counterpart to its AI safety summit, a state-backed body focused on testing advanced AI systems to ensure they’re safe, in San Francisco this summer.

The U.S. iteration of the AI Safety Institute will aim to recruit a team of technical staff headed up by a research director. In London, the institute currently has a team of 30. It is chaired by Ian Hogarth, a prominent British tech entrepreneur who founded the music concert discovery site Songkick.

In a statement, U.K. Technology Minister Michelle Donelan said the AI Safety Summit’s U.S. rollout “represents British leadership in AI in action.”

“It is a pivotal moment in the U.K.’s ability to study both the risks and potential of AI from a global lens, strengthening our partnership with the U.S. and paving the way for other countries to tap into our expertise as we continue to lead the world on AI safety.”

The expansion “will allow the U.K. to tap into the wealth of tech talent available in the Bay Area, engage with the world’s largest AI labs headquartered in both London and San Francisco, and cement relationships with the United States to advance AI safety for the public interest,” the government said.

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San Francisco is the home of OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed company behind viral AI chatbot ChatGPT.

The AI Safety Institute was established in November 2023 during the AI Safety Summit, a global event held in England’s Bletchley Park, the home of World War II code breakers, that sought to boost cross-border cooperation on AI safety.

The expansion of the AI Safety Institute to the U.S. comes on the eve of the AI Seoul Summit in South Korea, which was first proposed at the U.K. summit in Bletchley Park last year. The Seoul summit will take place across Tuesday and Wednesday.

The government said that, since the AI Safety Institute was established in November, it’s made progress in evaluating frontier AI models from some of the industry’s leading players.

It said Monday that several AI models completed cybersecurity challenges but struggle to complete more advanced challenges, while several models demonstrated PhD-level knowledge of chemistry and biology.

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Meanwhile, all models tested by the institute remained highly vulnerable to “jailbreaks,” where users trick them into producing responses they’re not permitted to under their content guidelines, while some would produce harmful outputs even without attempts to circumvent safeguards.

Tested models were also unable to complete more complex, time-consuming tasks without humans there to oversee them, according to the government.

It didn’t name the AI models that were tested. The government previously got OpenAI, DeepMind, and Anthropic to agree to opening their coveted AI models up to the government to help inform research into the risks associated with their systems.

The development comes as Britain has faced criticism for not introducing formal regulations for AI, while other jurisdictions, like the European Union, race ahead with AI-tailored laws.

The EU’s landmark AI Act, which is the first major legislation for AI of its kind, is expected to become a blueprint for global AI regulations once it is approved by all EU member states and enters into force.

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Game Day: Bay Area golfer making most of 2nd chance

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Game Day: Bay Area golfer making most of 2nd chance


Game Day: Bay Area golfer making most of 2nd chance – CBS San Francisco

Watch CBS News


Anthony Lasconia’s baseball career was cut short by a car accident in high school. He decided to try golf and has done more than pickup a new hobby.

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