Tag: 49ers draft picks

WATCH: 49ers rookie has huge kick return in preseason debut

This is one way to stake a claim to a roster spot.

How about San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo?

The fourth-round pick suffered a hamstring injury on Day 1 of training camp that kept him out until the final week of the preseason. He finally got into a game when the 49ers had their final exhibition game Friday night at Allegiant Stadium against the Las Vegas Raiders.

It was clear early on why the 49ers selected Guerendo. He looked comfortable on an early kick return and put together a couple of nice runs on offense where he showed the same smooth running style that made him successful in college.

The Raiders had a punt return for a touchdown that cut the 49ers lead to 10-7, and then Guerendo went to work on the ensuing kickoff with a 93-yard return.

That’s the kind of thing a player can do to help himself make a roster after getting virtually no practice or game action in before the regular season.

Guerendo got to the sideline, then made a couple of great cuts before running through contact and getting into the open field. His speed was also evident before he ran out of gas and got chased down.

Coaches will want to see him switch the football to his outside arm when he gets to the sideline, but that’s a small nitpick compared to the big play he generated. Guerendo was on the outside looking in at a roster spot entering Friday, but plays like this one will help his case.

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49ers rookie CB ascending quickly thanks to newfound versatility

The 49ers finally made a sizable draft investment at CB and it looks like it could pay off right away.

The San Francisco 49ers might have something in their secondary.

After years of prioritizing the defensive line and not investing heavily in cornerback during the draft, the 49ers finally spent a second-round pick on Florida State cornerback Renardo Green in 2024. They selected him No. 64 overall — marking the earliest they’d ever taken a CB in the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era.

With an opening in the starting lineup, there was hope that Green may be able to step in right away as a starter. He primarily played outside corner in college, but the team quickly moved him into the slot which is an entirely new position.

That might have pushed Green into a situation where he was left out of the starting lineup as he learned a new position, but defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen told reporters in a press conference after Wednesday’s practice that the early move inside has only benefitted the rookie CB.

“Both spots. That was kind of the plan,” Sorensen said. “I wanted to give him the harder stuff early, because he hadn’t played in there. It’s always easier, I think, to move back out to what you’re used to, then to try something really new. Then if we did it later, it would have been like, oh my gosh, blow your mind. Where when we gave him the hard stuff early, then he handled it while also playing corner. So now it’s like, let’s get you focused on playing outside and see if it clears your mind. Let you just play. Now he just kind of has to know both. Just like [DB Deommodore Lenoir] Demo does. We like to challenge our guys and see what they can handle. And when you see that they can handle it, it’s awesome. It gives you that flexibility. And he’s just a competitive kid that’s smart, that wants to do it right.”

It appears the main competition for the third CB spot is between Green and veteran CB Isaac Yiadom. The latter only plays outside and has primarily been a special teams contributor throughout his career, but looked to be on track to win the third CB job before an injury sidelined him for a few weeks in camp.

That opened the door for Green who has flashed in practice and during the 49ers’ pair of preseason games. He took full advantage of the opportunities.

Even if the club decides to go with Yiadom in the starting lineup right away, Green has done everything to point his arrow in the right direction going into his first regular season. Perhaps he contributes right away, but even if he doesn’t, he’s on track to be a factor in the secondary for the foreseeable future. That would be a really nice return on the team’s first big draft investment at CB.

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It’s officially time to worry about 49ers’ No. 1 draft pick

The San Francisco 49ers haven’t gotten a chance to get a good look at their first-round pick yet.

Avoiding injuries has been a significant problem for the San Francisco 49ers in this year’s training camp.

They haven’t had anything major pop up yet, but there are enough smaller injuries to enough players that it’s become a concern with the regular season less than a month away.

The injuries are less crucial for players like linebacker Fred Warner or running back Christian McCaffrey. Having them on the field Week 1 is more paramount than anything, so there’s no need to hit a panic button when they miss some preseason time.

It is much greater concern for rookies like wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.

Pearsall has been banged up throughout his tenure with the 49ers. He missed the first part of training camp with a hamstring injury. Now he’s out with a shoulder injury that pushed him out of practice time before and after the preseason opener. He also didn’t suit up for that preseason game.

He was out of Wednesday’s session again per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The clock is ticking on the No. 31 overall pick in this year’s draft to make a meaningful impact in camp, and perhaps in his rookie season.

This isn’t to say Pearsall is a bust or in an impossible spot to earn playing time in Year 1. He’s a talented player the team obviously likes a lot. His route running, athleticism and toughness at the catch point both bode well for his future as an NFL receiver.

The Kyle Shanahan system is just notoriously difficult for first-year wide receivers. Missing training camp means missing valuable practice reps that will help Pearsall get up to speed to earn snaps in Year 1. As his missed practices mount, his opportunities to play his way onto the field dwindle.

He was already facing an uphill climb for snaps behind Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings, but there figured to be some opportunities for the first-round pick to get on the field.

Now injuries have hit the position while Aiyuk is holding in, which would have opened the door for a ton of reps for Pearsall. Instead he’s among the players watching from the sideline. Those mental reps aren’t meaningless, but they pale in comparison to getting on the field and playing against other NFL players.

Once the season starts it gets harder to find reps in practice for players further down the depth chart because practices are so heavily focused on the upcoming game. The space for improvement is dominated by the necessity to win games. Training camp and the offseason program is where the acclimation is supposed to happen.

Pearsall may wind up being fine where he gets some reps leading up to the preseason finale and plays in that game. He could even return in time to suit up for the second week of the preseason. That would be extremely helpful in his quest to find playing time as a rookie.

However, the early track record doesn’t bode well for Pearsall who has been more observer than participant in his first camp. The sooner he flips that, the sooner he’ll have a chance to make an impact as a rookie. If he continues missing time, it may be another year before we see the first-round pick get a real opportunity to contribute.

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49ers trying to play catch-up with previously-injured rookie WR

One of the #49ers rookie WRs hasn’t gotten much practice time, so the team tried making up for it Monday.

Wide receiver Jacob Cowing’s first training camp hasn’t been ideal.

The rookie fourth-round pick suffered a hamstring injury before pads came on, and he didn’t return until just before the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Titans.

Cowing was always going to face an uphill climb to find snaps as a rookie, and missing a couple weeks to open camp doesn’t make that ascension any easier.

On Monday the 49ers tried playing some catchup with Cowing in an unpadded practice.

Since so many of the 49ers’ reserves played in their preseason opener on Saturday, the team used only its first-team offense in Monday’s practice per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

While Cowing isn’t expected to be a starter, he didn’t suit up for Saturday’s game making him available for the relatively light session. It appears the team was aiming to make up for lost time and get their rookie receiver some much-needed reps. Cowing was lining up often, and had a handful of plays designed for him per Wagoner:

Niners clearly tried to work Cowing, who has been out for awhile, into the offense with some opportunities. They moved him around a lot and attempted to get him the ball in space a couple of times. He did have a drop on a catchable pass from Purdy, however.

It isn’t a huge surprise to see Cowing get off to a slow start. He’s missed a ton of time and he’s still trying to acclimate to a new offense at the highest level of the sport.

The good news is Cowing wasn’t expected to have a major role in the offense just yet. He has the rest of the preseason to get ramped up, and then he’ll have chances during the year to continue growing into his role with an eye toward the next couple of seasons where he could see significant time in the 49ers’ offense.

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Huge hit by 49ers rookie reminiscent of 49ers Hall of Famer

Malik Mustapha’s big hit against the Titans looked like a play by a 49ers Hall of Famer.

The San Francisco 49ers had to be pleased with their 2024 rookie class in their preseason debut against the Tennessee Titans.

Third-round pick Dominick Puni got the start at right guard. Second-round pick Renardo Green showed off his versatility playing outside cornerback and in the slot.

Rookie fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha also got a ton of burn after first-team safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and George Odum exited the game. He got off to a rough start, falling down on a blitz, then getting out of position on a long completion to a Titans tight end.

He bounced back strong though, and made his presence felt on a fourth-and-1 run late in the second quarter near the goal line. Mustapha shot a gap and blew up Titans running back Hassan Haskins for a turnover on downs.

The hit was reminiscent of a play 49ers Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis made when he was in college at Ole Miss.

Against LSU, Willis shot a gap the same way and dropped the RB with a perfect form tackle the way Mustapha did. Here’s a video filmed on a six-week old potato:

Mustapha has a long way to go to be as impactful as Willis. However, his flashes in his preseason debut bode well for his chances to be an effective pro.

At Wake Forest, physicality and strong tackling were two things that jumped out about Mustapha’s game. That those two things translated in his first NFL game action are a great sign for him.

It’s unlikely Mustapha will start this season with Brown and Talanoa Hufanga ahead of him on the depth chart. There could be chances for him to get on the field in some three-safety looks if he continues building off the foundation he built in Tennessee.

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49ers rookie solidifies chances to start with strong preseason opener

The 49ers may have solved a problem on their offensive line with a rookie.

The San Francisco 49ers opened their preseason schedule Saturday against the Tennessee Titans.

While most of the 49ers’ starters sat out, a handful of players who are expected to earn starting jobs in Week 1 took the field for the first exhibition match of the year.

Left guard Aaron Banks was among the starters. So was right tackle Colton McKivitz. Rookie third-round pick Dominick Puni also looks to be on track for a starting role in 2024.

He got the start in the preseason opener after taking hold of the right guard job in camp when Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano both went down with injuries.

Puni looked to be the frontrunner for the job going into Saturday’s game. He solidified that spot with his performance in Tennessee.

There was never a point where Puni looked overwhelmed, and he never got soundly beat on a rep. He anchored well in pass protection, moved well in the run game. He also flashed good awareness to look for work and push running back Jordan Mason across the goal line to cap the 49ers’ first drive with a touchdown.

Puni looked the part of a starting offensive lineman playing in Week 1 of the preseason.

That he was removed from the game with the other starters is a sign that the coaching staff was happy with his debut.

There’ll be some finishing touches for Puni to put on the job. He’ll need to close training camp and preseason performing well, but all signs point to the right guard spot being his job to lose.

After not picking an offensive lineman until Round 3 of this year’s draft, finding a rookie starter at a position they haven’t had stability at would be a massive win for San Francisco.

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49ers rookie already noticing benefits of playing with ‘one of the top QBs in the league’

One 49ers rookie is fired up to play with Brock Purdy.

It was a little bit of a surprise on the first night of the NFL draft when the San Francisco 49ers selected wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick.

The choice led to rampant speculation about the future of the 49ers receiving corps and what the Pearsall selection meant for veterans Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. For now, all three remain on the roster.

Pearsall’s rookie season should offer plenty of runway for the first-year WR to get acclimated to the NFL. If Samuel and Aiyuk are both on the roster Week 1 with Jauan Jennings, Pearsall won’t need to take on much right away.

That story changes in the future. Pearsall figures to be a big part of the 49ers offense beyond this season. It’s clear the young receiver knows that because he’s already building a foundation with quarterback Brock Purdy.

Pearsall on Friday told reporters that getting into a system with a top quarterback has helped him hit the ground running as a pro.

“He’s one of the top quarterbacks in the league right now,” Pearsall said via 95.7 The Game. “Going into a system with a quarterback like that, it’s a great blessing for myself. It’s made everything easier just chopping it up with him each and every day.”

It’s not just the practice field where Pearsall and the QB get to chat. They’re locker-mates which gives the first-round pick an opportunity to build a strong relationship with the 49ers franchise signal caller.

“His locker’s actually right next to mine, so I get to talk to him each and every day,” Pearsall said. “Going up to him and just having a normal conversation. Like, what can I get better at? Just asking him questions about the playbook, and getting feedback from the quarterback. Because once you start seeing it through the quarterback’s lens it just gets that much easier for a receiver. Just continuing to develop that trust and that connection with him.”

If that connection grows quickly it could mean an earlier step into a bigger role for Pearsall. Rookie WRs tend to have a hard time in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense because of how meticulous the coach is with where players line up and how they run their routes.

Getting to go through all that with Purdy on a regular basis could ease the learning curve for Pearsall and put him in a good position to succeed both in 2024 and beyond.

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49ers rookie WR shows off skills with sweet 1-handed catch

This Ricky Pearsall catch is pretty sweet.

It’s only been two padded practices for 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, but the No. 31 overall pick is already turning heads.

He put together a strong performance in team drills during Wednesday’s session. According to reporters on site he snagged a pair of tough catches through tough coverage.

Pearsall is a crisp route runner with plenty of toughness to play in the middle of the field, but he also has terrific hands. He showed off those hands with a sweet one-handed snag on a deep out in practice.

That one-handed grab creates some excitement that we may see more acrobatic catches from Pearsall, but it’s important to note that no defenders are in the area since it wasn’t a one-on-one or team drill. In a game situation he’s probably going up and securing the throw with two hands, but it’s still fun to see him show off one of the reasons the team made him their first-round pick in this year’s draft.

49ers draft pick has real chance to solve huge problem in rookie season

One 49ers rookie is standing out above the rest in the early portion of training camp.

The San Francisco 49ers have had some stumbles in building a quality offensive line. Part of that was due to head coach Kyle Shanahan’s team-building philosophy that prioritizes playmakers on offense over quality in the trenches.

As Shanahan sees it, the 49ers just need five NFL-caliber starting offensive linemen to have a great offense. To this point, he’s largely been correct with one small caveat. San Francisco’s two Super Bowl losses and one of their NFC championship game defeats came partly because the interior offensive line struggled.

Third-round pick Dominick Puni may be able to solve that very specific problem right away for San Francisco.

An injury to offensive linemen Spencer Buford and Jon Feliciano has rapidly opened the door for Puni to get reps with the 49ers’ starting offense. Early returns in two padded practices have been promising.

ESPN’s Nick Wagoner had the breakdown of Puni’s Tuesday practice on Twitter:

Too early to say whether Puni will win a starting job but one thing we can comfortably conclude: he handles his business like a veteran. Just never looks uncomfortable and has shown signs of understanding the little details like passing off blitzes and combo blocks in the run game like someone well beyond his years. A strong start.

The ‘too early to say’ caveat is an important one, but the fact Puni has hit the ground running is a great sign for the 49ers given some of their past experiences with first-year offensive linemen under Shanahan.

One example is 2021 second-round pick Aaron Banks, who got off to such a slow start that he wound up as a healthy scratch for seven of the team’s first eight games. He was active for their final nine contests and one of their three playoff games, but he played just five offensive snaps and they all came in the late stages of a 30-10 romp over Jacksonville.

Banks has since transformed his body and adapted to the 49ers’ scheme to become a high-quality starting left guard.

It sounds early on like Puni is skipping the first part of that and trending toward the quality starting guard part.

If Puni can take that leap in Year 1 where he steps in as an upgrade at right guard right away, it would solve a major problem that San Francisco has been trying to maneuver around for Shanahan’s entire tenure. Having a reliable player at that spot with Pro Bowl potential would not only shore up the one position, but it would make life easier on right tackle Colton McKivitz, while also stretching out the club’s depth along the interior by moving Feliciano and/or Burford into reserve roles.

The 49ers will need a handful of their other rookies to contribute in various ways this season. It would be a huge victory though if Puni steps onto the field and into a starting job right away.

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49ers rookie could be facing steep climb to roster spot after injury

Another 49ers mid-round pick at RB is off to a rough start in his first training camp.

Another 49ers mid-round running back could be in trouble.

San Francisco under head coach Kyle Shanahan has made a dubious habit of selecting running backs in the middle rounds of the NFL draft only to have them flame out spectacularly.

Fourth-round pick Joe Williams in the 2017 draft never played a regular season snap for the 49ers. In 2021 they selected Trey Sermon in the third round only to cut him after one subpar year. They followed that up with Ty Davis-Price in Round 3 of the 2022 draft. He wound up getting released during his second season. That trio combined for 81 rushes and 287 rushing yards with one touchdown.

They went back to the well in this year’s draft when they selected RB Isaac Guerendo out of Louisville. He checks a ton of boxes for the 49ers’ offense with his vision and home run speed. Raheem Mostert was a name invoked regularly after the pick. As with other mid-round RBs in Shanahan’s tenure, Guerendo’s rookie campaign hasn’t gotten off to a great start.

He’s one of three 49ers sidelined with a hamstring injury, but his is the only one that’s going to force him out for significant time.

“No, Isaac was worse. That’s going to be a few weeks,” Shanahan told reporters after Monday’s practice. “(WR) Jake (Cowing) is in a similar boat as (WR) Tay (Martin). I think it was a 10 day guess, whenever that started. So hopefully sometime next week.”

Missing any training camp time is brutal for rookies looking to get up to speed in the NFL. They’re not only missing valuable reps against NFL competition, but they’re also missing time where they’re learning the offense in controlled practice setting.

By sitting for multiple weeks Guerendo could fall way behind the pack in a crowded running back room. Assuming San Francisco keeps four at the position, we can pencil in Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell. That leaves one spot for Guerendo, undrafted rookie Cody Schrader, and veteran special teams contributor Patrick Taylor.

Perhaps Guerendo gets on the field and lights it up the way it looked like he might when his NFL productivity was a series of workout numbers, advanced stats and projections. Now those projections aren’t nearly as rosy with the team churning toward their potential Super Bowl run and Guerendo sidelined by a balky hamstring. It’s hard when faced with those facts to not have flashbacks to previous failed mid-round RBs.

There’s still time for Guerendo to climb out of that hole and into a roster spot, but the hole gets deeper each day he’s out.

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