Santa Clara, California – The Niners’ practice on Saturday morning was fast and competitive. It was very clear, from start to finish, just how talented this group is. Oh, and Trey Lance headed out with a nice cross-body throw as he went up and broke the pocket on his left, then turned back to his left to find Ray-Ray McCloud at the goal line. What is left of it? Here you are …
1) You can’t walk along a field at the Niners facility without hearing someone pose Brandon Ayuk. He’s got a solid finish to 2021, of course, and has just built on that, becoming a more complete receiver in a place that demands a lot of the position. From a skill set perspective, his ability to win men’s coverage should be huge for the 49ers to take advantage of defenses that overplay the annoying game of running (now involving Trey Lance).
Could Brandon Aiyuk’s previous first-round pick secure his first 1,000-yard drive in his third season?
Stan Szito / USA Today Sports
2) The linebacker group might be the best in the NFL. Fred Warner needs no introduction. But Dre Greenlaw and Aziz Al Shaer’s play caught the eye early in the camp. Determining roles for everyone should be fun/challenging for DeMeco Ryans.
3) The position of the corner must have been better than it has ever been during Kyle Shanahan’s six years in San Francisco. Emmanuel Mosley looks ready to take another step into his fifth season, and big-ticket free agent Charvarius Ward has adapted well to having to play off the ball more than he did at Kansas City.
Go to follow
Watch Seahawks with fuboTV: Start your free trial today.
4) The depth when running suddenly became very, very solid. Finally Elijah Mitchell was healthy and his 4.3 speed was evident in training. Ty Davis-Price did a real physical light up with the pads still going. And Trey Sermon, who was a third-round pick last year, appears ready to take another step. Each could play a role in helping the Niners manage Deebo Samuel a little differently than they did last year.
5) The inside of the offensive line is the big question. Young goalkeepers Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford have a lot of talent, but not a lot of experience – so this could be an issue early on, with the notion that the position becomes a strength over the course of the season. A central rivalry is taking place between Jake Brindel and Daniel Brunskill. These three points, plus the man lining up directly behind them, would likely go a long way in determining how well the Niners’ attack was.
Previous bootcamp stops:
Invoices | bears | ponies | Bengals | Steelers | Brown | Vikings | Packers | heads | Bronco | Seahawks
