Tag: 49ers rookies

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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3 49ers draft picks all dealing with same injury in 1st training camp

It’s a tough year to be a 49ers 2024 draft pick.

It’s been a tough training camp to be a 49ers 2024 draft pick. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, wide receiver Jacob Cowing and running back Isaac Guerendo are all dealing with hamstring injuries.

Pearsall has yet to participate in any of the first four training camp practices because of his ailment. He’s on the non-football injury list, but the expectation is for him to join the club in practice when they resume activities Monday.

Guerendo was healthy to start camp. On Day 1 of practice he suffered a hamstring injury. Then Cowing went down with an injury that kept him out of Days 3 and 4. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Saturday after practice confirmed Cowing is dealing with a hamstring issue as well.

Rookies missing any practice is bad news. They’re the players most in need of reps. Hamstring injuries can also be tricky, so the 49ers might be extremely cautious in bringing those players back into the mix, leading to additional missed sessions.

On the other hand, as long as the hamstring injuries aren’t major they should be able to avoid missing significant time. If all three are back in time for the preseason opener where they can get in-game reps they should be able to catch up and make an impact.

For now the focus will just be ensuring they’re healthy as quickly as possible, and ensuring no more first-year players wind up having to miss time.

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Some early bad news for 49ers rookie running back

A 49ers rookie is already nursing what appears to be a hamstring injury after one day of camp.

It’s too early in training camp to have a ‘bad’ training camp, but things didn’t get off to a great start for 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo.

Guerendo on Day 1 of camp had to exit the session after pulling up with what appears to be a hamstring injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan after practice said he wasn’t sure the extent of the ailment.

“Yeah, we think it was a hamstring,” Shanahan said. “So it looked like he hyperextended a little bit. He was going about half speed it looked like. So it was an unusual one, but they just told me it was a hamstring. But we got to get the MRI.”

This could be a significant blow for the rookie fourth-round pick in his first camp. Guerendo dealt with injuries throughout his college career as well which is part of the reason such an early issue raises a red flag.

San Francisco’s running back room is crowded with veterans and a talented undrafted rookie Cody Schrader. This hamstring issue could put Guerendo behind the curve in a way that makes it much more difficult to catch up. He was already going to be battling Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Patrick Taylor and Schrader for a roster spot. Now he’ll potentially have to compete with fewer practices under his belt.

Ideally the injury won’t sideline Guerendo for long and he’ll get a couple practices in before the team’s preseason opener on Aug. 10 in Tennessee.

The good news for Guerendo is his skill set should translate well to the 49ers’ offense. He’s explosive, fast and very good at keeping his balance through contact. If he can get healthy and stay healthy he has a real chance to be a factor in that crowded San Francisco backfield.

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Why Ricky Pearsall’s strong OTA showing matters

Ricky Pearsall stood out in OTAs for all the right reasons. Here’s why that matters:

Typically a strong performance in OTAs isn’t particularly notable. There are no pads on, not every player is participating, and the general environment has significantly less urgency than training camp or the regular season. However, there’s at least some significance to rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall standing out in those early sessions.

Pearsall’s performance in the voluntary and mandatory portions of the offseason program was noted by several reporters on site at the 49ers practice facility. Matt Barrows of the Athletic wrote an entire piece about how the first-round pick has made a mark in those sessions.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan also spoke highly of Pearsall’s early work with the club and quarterback Brock Purdy.

“It’s been fun to watch both of them,” Shanahan said in a June 4 press conference. “I know Brock doesn’t always get to watch how the route gets there, but he knows when guys end up in the right spot and they catch it. That’s where quarterbacks get comfortable and I think he can fill that with Ricky right away. I mean, he’s been getting to the right spot and when he has made mistakes, he understands it and corrects it. I think that’s why those guys are gonna have a lot of fun working together.”

This is at least a minor deal because it puts Pearsall on a good trajectory heading into camp.

It wouldn’t have been a bad thing if Pearsall hadn’t stood out in any meaningful way. It would have been a bad thing if he stood out for being actively bad. But if he’d just been another WR there’d still be chances for him to make his mark in training camp and beyond.

That he stood out for his strong outings with expanded reps because of absences from other receivers is a great sign for the 49ers. Pearsall performing well in his first ever OTAs gives optimism that he’ll be able to hit the ground running once camp starts, pads come on, hitting begins and the competitions get more real.

The 49ers need their first-round pick to be a high-quality player and so far he’s checked every box and then some.

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Position change could give 49ers rookie CB Renardo Green chance to start in Year 1

Versatility could be the key for #49ers rookie CB Renardo Green earning a starting job right away.

One of the few question marks on the 49ers depth chart sits at the cornerback position where the third spot alongside Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir remains wide open. Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen on Wednesday had some strong praise for rookie Renardo Green, who is trying out a new position with San Francisco.

The 49ers selected Green in the second round – the earliest they’ve picked a CB in the Kyle Shanahan era and it sounds like he may have a chance to earn a starting job in Year 1 thanks to his willingness to compete in the slot and outside.

“I’ve been really happy with Renardo,” Sorensen told reporters in his post-practice press conference. “The cool thing is he’s been doing both nickel and corner and it’s not a lot of time right? It’s a certain amount of practices and hasn’t fully been a nickel. So, he’s really embraced the challenge of it. That’s the best part. Like it’s never perfect because now all of a sudden we’re teaching you all these different coverages, but there’s also run fits too and then that changes. And guess what? You can’t like fully trigger and feel the physicality of the line because there’s rules and those guys aren’t playing the same. But just with him, it’s just the mentality and the competitiveness that I love. We knew the movement skill was there and you see it in man-to-man stuff and he gets those too. But just like he’s embraced any challenge that’s anything that’s hard I think he’s embraced and he’s kind of attacked it and willingly been like, ‘no man, I want more of that.’ And that’s really been awesome.”

There’s some flexibility at that third starting spot because of Lenoir’s versatility. He can play both in the slot and outside, so the 49ers don’t have to be picky about exactly what position the third CB will play.

Green primarily played outside in college, but the 49ers are getting him work at both spots during his transition to the NFL. How he handles that transition once pads come on will determine where he competes as a rookie and if he can earn a starting job out of training camp.

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