In the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers selected Tatum Bethune from Florida State University with the 251st-overall pick.
"It's the best feeling of my life," Bethune said after being drafted. "This feeling doesn't feel real, but I'm ready to get to work."
Keep reading to learn more about San Francisco's newest linebacker.
While Bethune was in college, he studied film of the 49ers linebacker play, especially five-year pro Dre Greenlaw.
"The guy who I actually watched this past season was Greenlaw because of the way he shows his passion on the field and he's always around the ball," Bethune said. "His physicality, it reminded me a lot of myself. I'm pretty sure the whole college football world knows about the linebacker corps at the 49ers."
Now, the rookie has the opportunity to share a room with Greenlaw and learn from him one-on-one.
Before playing at Florida State University, Bethune was a three-year contributor at the University of Central Florida. From 2019-21, he recorded 185 tackles (13 for loss), 4.5 sacks, three interceptions and two forced fumbles in 35 games (17 starts). Bethune led the Knights with 101 tackles during the 2021 season, becoming the 43rd member of UCF's 100-tackle club. He also earned an All-AAC honorable mention by the league's coaches, was named to the second-team All-AAC by Pro Football Focus and second-team All-AAC by Phil Steele that year.
The linebacker later transferred to FSU for his final two seasons of college football. From 2022-23, Bethune made 24 game appearances with 21 starts and recorded 142 total tackles (12.5 tackles for loss), 1.0 sack, one interception, seven passes defended and one fumble recovery.
Bethune was the recipient of the Monk Bonasorte Award following the 2022 season at Florida State. The honor is given to the defensive player who displays the most heart on the field.
That season, the linebacker tallied 84 tackles, including 9.5 for loss with 3.0 sacks, three pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one quarterback hurry. He earned an All-ACC honorable mention for his performance that year.
Bethune only performed on the bench press at the 2024 NFL Combine, where he totaled 16 reps of 225 pounds.
At the linebacker's pro day, Bethune ran the 40-yard dash in 4.77 seconds, the 3-cone drill in 7.03 seconds, the 20-yard shuttle in 4.35 seconds, along with a 30.5-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of nine feet, seven inches, according to Bleacher Report.
Bethune will link up with a familiar face on the 49ers defense. In the 2024 NFL Draft, San Francisco also selected Bethune's teammate cornerback Renardo Green in the second round. Green and Bethune played together for two seasons while at Florida State.
"Renardo Green is a dog," Bethune said. "I feed off his energy and sometimes he feeds off mine. It's a great feeling to have one of my old teammates back as my teammate again."
