SANTA CLARA – Rookie linebacker Tatum Bethune chuckled at his 49ers locker thinking about a group chat on his phone. It’s one he shares with a dozen of his Florida State teammates.
Just imagine the inside jokes, blended in with sincere well-wishes, to keep alive a college bond.
That chat includes the Los Angeles Rams’ top two draft picks this past spring, outside linebacker Jared Verse and defensive tackle Braden Fiske. “They talk smack every time they get a chance to,” Bethune said with a laugh, “but (this week) I’ll make sure they hear my mouth.”
Cornerback Renardo Green, the 49ers’ second-round pick, also hails from Florida State, and he anticipates a “family reunion” Sunday at SoFi Stadium when the 49ers (1-1) visit the Rams (0-2).
Playful banter aside, the Rams’ Verse and Fiske should play a much bigger role than the 49ers’ Bethune and Green as this NFC West rivalry enters perhaps its next phase.
The Rams, ranked last in yards allowed and second-to-last in points surrendered, are relying on their rookie starters for a defensive front that lost Aaron Donald to offseason retirement. Bethune and Green, meanwhile, have been mostly relegated to special teams as they try working up the defense’s depth chart.
That Florida State defensive foursome offers a distracting storyline from the injuries that have robbed each team of offensive stars – the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel, and the Rams’ Cooper Kupp and Puka Nakua.
“We came out the same nest, the same program. It’s fun, but at the end of the day, we’re still just playing football,” Green said. “When we’re out there (Sunday), we’re in different colors, but after the game, we’re back (as) family.”
“We text in a group chat every day, where we all just send pictures from the game or practice,” Bethune added. “We keep in touch to make sure everybody is staying good and healthy.”
One goal they all share is to carve out a successful NFL career after being among 10 players drafted out of Florida State, a program that was controversially spurned from college football’s playoffs. With so many stars now in the NFL, the Seminoles lug an 0-3 record into Saturday’s home game against Cal (3-0).
Once the Rams fell to 0-2 with Sunday’s 41-10 stunning loss in Arizona, Verse described it simply as a “failure” that would not be repeated. “We’re gonna be better. This week we’re gonna really attack it,” Verse told reporters afterward. “We have the 49ers next – a great team, so it’s time to be better. …. Once we execute, I don’t think anybody is going to be able to mess with us.”
Both Verse and Fiske are playing over 72 percent of the defensive snaps and making an impact. Verse (6-foot-4, 260 pounds) was drafted 19th overall, and he’s produced nine quarterback pressures, a sack, a forced fumble and 11 tackles, with four for loss. Fiske (6-4, 291) was a second-round pick taken 39th overall, and he’s totaled four pressures, eight tackles and a fumble recovery.
In the closing quarter of Sunday’s rout in Arizona, Verse forced a fumble the Cardinals recovered and scored for a touchdown, and Fiske recovered another Cardinals fumble on their next drive.
Green played his first four career defensive snaps Sunday when the 49ers fell 27-13 at Minnesota. “Renardo came in on a couple of dime packages and he did well with his reps,” coach Kyle Shanahan said.
After impressing both on the outside and in the slot through camp and the preseason, Green looks like a potential starter, and he’s not angry about initially serving as the No. 4 cornerback behind Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir and Isaac Yiadom. “I know myself, what I’m capable of, and I know my talent,” Green said. “Whenever that time comes, I’ll be ready. Until then, I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win games.”
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Bethune, a seventh-round pick, has played strictly on special teams (29 snaps) while the linebacker duties are carried out by All-Pro Fred Warner, De’Vondre Campbell, and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles. When Bethune made his debut on “Monday Night Football” in the 49ers’ 32-19 season-opening win over the New York Jets, he called it an “unreal” feeling, adding: “I was just living the dream.”
Next stop is SoFi Stadium, where the Rams’ home opener again will showcase red-clad 49ers fans in the majority of those 73,023 seats. The first impressions of NFL action and arenas have not shaken Bethune nor Green.
“I don’t think it’s a big difference,” Bethune said. “I’ve been playing big games since high school (at Miami Central). The stadiums are always packed and loud and a hostile environment. I’m used to it.”
Added Green: “I’ve been playing football for two decades, so football will always be football for me. The only difference between college and the NFL is guys are a little bit better in the talent, but I’m ready for it.”