Health, QBs look good in workouts
Early analysis of 49ers: Depth at receiver is iffy
Bulkedup Mike McGlinchey was asked Saturday whether the 25 pounds he added in the offseason has improved his passblocking performance. The 49ers’ right tackle responded that it was premature to offer an assessment because the 49ers, who have had only nonpadded practices in training camp, haven’t played anything close to real football.
“I haven’t felt a true headon bull rush yet,” McGlinchey said.
The 49ers will get closer to the real thing Tuesday when they have their first padded practice of camp. It’s true the lack of pads during the first five practices means it’s hard to form much of an opinion on players such as rookie running backs Trey Sermon and Elijah
Mitchell, who have been running on air.
But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been takeaways. Some thoughts on what has been seen and heard since the 49ers reported to camp last Tuesday:
Trey Lance’s improvement
This was Trey Lance’s first pass of training camp: He rolled right, targeted tight end MyCole Pruitt with a short throw ... and his incomplete pass sailed high in a 7on7 drill.
My thought: The rookie No. 3 pick, who often missed high in three offseason practices that were open to the media in the spring, hadn’t corrected his mechanical issues. My thought now: I think he might have corrected his mechanical issues.
Consider: Lance’s next snap after his throw to Pruitt was a sweet 50yard touchdown to wide receiver Deebo Samuel, which set the tone for his strong earlycamp performance.
Not surprisingly, Lance, 21, wasn’t ready to challenge Jimmy Garoppolo in spring practices. Now, less than two months later, Lance appears poised to at least make things interesting, although head coach Kyle Shanahan maintained Monday that Lance was unlikely to be the seasonopening starter. It hasn’t been just Lance’s improved accuracy this summer. It has been his aggressiveness — he’s unafraid to push the ball downfield on tightwindow throws — and command.
This is not to suggest he has mastered a complex playbook, or every throw is exquisite, but Lance doesn’t drop back, scan the field and look jittery or confused. Coaches don’t purposely approach him after plays, prepared to offer correction. He often has drawn the defenders offside with his hard count, craftiness usually associated with experienced NFL QBs.
Tight end Ross Dwelley said Lance already “knows what everyone’s job is” on a given play. Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel said Lance’s teammates can “feel” he has made a leap since the spring, a vibe he has picked up on based on their response to him in practice.
“He’s come back in a manner that we’re happy with,” McDaniel said, “and I think his teammates can feel that he’s put in work, too.”
This is my 12th season covering the 49ers, but the first time I’ve covered a firstround rookie QB in training camp.
My only experience covering a rookie QB who was drafted in the first two rounds was in 2011 when Colin Kaepernick was the No. 36 pick. As a rookie, Kaepernick habitually fled the pocket at the first sign of pressure, clearly wasn’t ready and posed no threat to Alex Smith.
The point? I’m not quite sure what a highly drafted QB is supposed to look like early in training camp, but I feel comfortable saying this: Lance, unlike the likes of Rick Mirer, Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell — topfive picks who came before him — won’t be a lemon.
A changed QB
Samuel said Garoppolo has looked like a “different guy” this offseason, has been “more focused on details” and has had “more energy in the huddle.” Tight end George Kittle offered that Garoppolo has been “just a little more intense.”
“He’s come in and worked harder,” McGlinchey said. “He’s come in and played better. And led our team even more.”
This praise is … interesting.
On one hand, it’s understandable that the 49ers’ aggressive offseason effort to replace Garoppolo, which eventually led them to Lance, has provided a spark that didn’t previously exist. Garoppolo, after all, has not faced a whiff of competition for his spot since he became the starter in December 2017.
There are Patriots beat writers who believe New England’s decision to use a secondround pick on Garoppolo in 2014 elevated the play of Tom Brady, who is the poster boy for maniacal work ethic and competitiveness. And Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, at 37, won his first NFL MVP award in six years last season after the Packers traded up to select QB Jordan Love in the first round.
That said, it’s worth recalling Garoppolo’s situation a year ago. The 49ers were coming off a crushing Super Bowl loss in which they squandered a 10point lead in the final seven minutes and Garoppolo was assigned most of the blame for the collapse: He overthrew a wouldbe, gamewinning touchdown pass, and his 2.8 passer rating was the second lowest in the fourth quarter of a playoff loss since 2000.
Was that not enough to provide an abnormal amount of offseason fuel?
Will another wide receiver emerge?
Starting wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel have been impressive. No surprise there. Mohamed Sanu, 31, has been a summer surprise.
After those three, however, no wideout has stood out.
When Shanahan was asked Monday about the rest of the wide receivers on the roster, he acknowledged, “No one’s really separated themselves yet.” He also noted that wideouts Jalen Hurd (knee) and Jauan Jennings (COVID19 list) had yet to enter the competition, which speaks to the apparent lack of quality depth. The 49ers probably shouldn’t count on major contributions from Hurd, an injuryplagued 2019 thirdround pick, or Jennings, a 2020 seventhround pick, neither of whom has played an NFL snap.
No notable injuries
The 49ers led the NFL in injuredreserved transactions last year, lost their 2020 leading rusher, Jeff Wilson, in May when he tore a knee ligament walking in the locker room and canceled an OTA practice in June a day after they lost two key backups, safety Tarvarius Moore and offensive tackle Justin Skule, to ligament tears.
Given that, it’s worth noting they not only have emerged unscathed from the first five practices of training camp, they’ve had promising development on the injury front. Most notably, pass rusher Nick Bosa (knee) is optimistic he’ll be ready for Week 1, a belief that’s supported by his explosiveness in individual drills. Also, pass rusher Dee Ford (back), a player I haven’t been convinced could play in 2021 based on the 49ers’ vague medical updates, made his debut in team drills Monday.