The San Francisco 49ers may have gotten a steal with their seventh-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Former FSU linebacker Tatum Bethune was the No. 251 selection overall in the final round of the draft last season.
He played in 11 games and had seven tackles and one fumble recovery. However, he's looking to make his presence felt in his second year and had a nice showing in the first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night.
I looked at the box score at the beginning of the third quarter, and Bethune had six tackles. I wasn't the only person to notice his play in the game. Check out what the reaction was online:
Tatum Bethune is a good player.
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) August 10, 2025
Tatum Bethune is a guy that has been showing improvements. Excited to watch him through the preseason.
— Steph Sanchez (@Steph49K) August 10, 2025
3 tackles for LB Tatum Bethune, a 7th-round pick in 2024, on that drive alone. Might the 49ers have another 2024 draft class hit? TBD, but that would be something. The opportunity is there
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 10, 2025
Chase Lucas and Tatum Bethune NEED first team snaps for the @49ers they’ve been on fire
— Sir.BenedictDufockle (@smelvilthe42nd) August 10, 2025
Tatum Bethune should be competing for LB2
— CEB (@Ceb209) August 10, 2025
Tatum Bethune 🔥
— Jxstxn_0604 (@Jxstxn0) August 10, 2025
Bethune is one of the most underrated players FSU acquired from the transfer portal. His addition before the 2022 season instantly improved the FSU defense and helped develop Kalen DeLoach to form one of the better linebacker duos in the ACC in 2023.
Who could forget his tackle against Jayden Daniels in 2023 against LSU?
Tatum Bethune’s mid-air tackle of Jayden Daniels is already college football’s hit of the year. pic.twitter.com/k47OgjtVd9
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 4, 2023
Bethune battled several injuries during his time at FSU and usually played through them. His performance in the 2023 ACC Championship game(while hurt) is one of the better performances in recent FSU memory.
He has always been solid against the run when healthy and isn't as bad in coverage as some think when healthy.
The linebacker position is one where underrated players can thrive for a long time when they find the right role. I wouldn't be surprised to see Bethune continue to thrive as long as he can stay healthy. He was highly productive in college and always had a nose for the ball, and San Francisco runs the type of defense he can thrive in.