SANTA CLARA – The 49ers had their sixth practice at training camp on Friday morning. They only have six practices left. They are halfway there.
Here’s who stood out on Friday.
GOOD
1. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.
Received a maximum of eight targets and completed a maximum of six takes. Thanks to six practices at training camp, it’s clear Bourne is the No. 1 wide receiver for the 49ers. He’s a veteran, he’s a year away, he knows the offense, he has the confidence of Jimmy Garoppolo and he’s in excellent shape. Bourne will almost certainly be the starting flanker in Week 1 and will likely retain that position even when Deebo Samuel returns with a broken foot. The 49ers are expected to offer Bourne a contract extension now before he has a big season.
2. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Made five catches in team drills – tied for second in the 49ers with tight end George Kittle. The 49ers are obviously gearing up Brandon Aiyuk for a starting role early in the season, and he looks set. I doubt there will be a starter left when Deebo Samuel returns, but I suspect Aiyuk will switch to flanking in a year or two and become a starter at that position eventually.
3. Wide receiver Tavon Austin.
Makes the best take in the morning. Ran a road to the sideline, stopped on a dime, let cornerback Tim Harris Jr. pass, and grabbed 20 yards before falling out of bounds. Austin will likely be one of six veterans on the 49ers practice squad this year. If he continues to perform well in training, he could well be among the 53 players.
4. Nose tackle Solomon Thomas.
Yes, nose tackle. Thomas replaced starter DJ Jones, who has an injured shoulder – more on him later. Thomas is much shorter than Jones, but still played surprisingly well against the run in team drills. The 49ers offense struggled to gain rushing yards all morning, and Thomas was a big reason. He might have a hard time tackling the nose against power racing teams, but against zone blocking teams moving from the sideline to the sideline, it’s a perfect nose tackle because he runs well for a defensive lineman.
5. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
Still struggling during one-on-one passing drills – he couldn’t even beat third-string cross Hroniss Grasu today. But Kinlaw is not yet a sophisticated passer – it is a project. And he’s an efficient player anyway, especially against running. Earlier in camp, he was rushing the quarterback wildly, clearing his gap and giving up big runs in team drills. Now he stays in his space and the attack can’t move him. He and Thomas were two of the defensive MVPs on Friday.
6. Defensive end Arik Armstead.
In fact, participated in the practice for the first time this offseason. Took two reps against guard Tom Compton in one-on-one passing drills and beat him once. Also played a dozen shots during team drills and appeared effective. Looks like his back is no longer sore.
7. Defensive end Nick Bosa.
Finally beat Trent Williams one on one. Bosa set up Williams by first using a power surge directly into Williams’ chest. Williams blocked that off, but on the next rep Bosa faked a power move and cut inside. Williams braced for power and sniffed. Bosa is extremely intelligent. It’s fun to watch him outdo his opponent.
8. Defensive end Dee Ford.
Finally given its full one-on-one effort and destroyed right tackle Mike McGlinchey. Beat him once inside and once on the edge. Ford is so much faster and more explosive than McGlinchey – Ford should beat him every time.
9. Linebacker Fred Warner.
Every time the 49ers ran the ball, Warner would meet the running back in the hole and hit him. Hard. And the running backs didn’t like it. Raheem Mostert in particular yelled at Warner after a couple played out of sheer frustration. It seemed like Warner knew exactly what was going to happen, because he probably had. He’s a brilliant football player, so well prepared and in fantastic shape. He is even bigger and stronger than last year. Looks like an All Pro.
10. Reinforced security Jaquiski Tartt.
Broke two Jimmy Garoppolo passes during team drills and nearly intercepted one. Both passes were intended for slot catcher Trent Taylor in the middle. Tartt read Garoppolo’s eyes and broke early both times. Two good practices in a row for Tartt. More or Garoppolo below.
11. Strong security Johnathan Cyprien.
Interception of a pass from Nick Mullens during team drills. Mullens threw deep for Jauan Jennings in the third and 10th and Jennings never turned his head to find the ball – apparently he didn’t expect to get it. Beginner’s mistake. The ball went straight to Cyprien, who was in the right place at the right time. Good start to his 49ers career.
12. Safety / nickelback Tarvarius Moore.
Discontinued a pass intended for slot catcher Jennings on the fourth and third. The 49ers have given nickelback defensive backs plenty of reps while starter K’Waun Williams has suffered a calf injury, and Moore has played well at nickel so far.
THE NOT SO GOOD
1. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Bad Jimmy made his first appearance at training camp. He was precise – 17 out of 23 – but he was reckless with football after protecting him so well the first five days of camp. Today he made a misguided throw with his back foot which sailed on his intended receiver and landed in the hands of Richard Sherman. Easiest interception in Sherman’s life. Later, Garoppolo was almost intercepted by Tartt. And in the final drill of the morning, Garoppolo had 1:35 to lead the offense 70 yards for a touchdown and ran out of time. Not a terrible day, but not living up to the standard he’s set this offseason.
2. Cornerback Richard Sherman.
Intercepted Garoppolo, but also gave up two first takes at Bourne in the last offensive practice. It looked like Garoppolo was going after Sherman, who seemed to concede 15-yard completions. I have a feeling the NFL offenses will attack Sherman this season for the first time in a decade. The 49ers offense has done it before.
3. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.
He still hasn’t regained the confidence he had during training camp last year. Committed a blatant pass-interference penalty against Dante Pettis when Pettis ran deep. Witherspoon panicked and grabbed him. I didn’t even try to cover it properly. Poor Ahkello. He may never recover mentally after playing so poorly last season after injuring his foot.
4. Nickelback K’Waun Williams.
Missed yet another day of practice with a sore calf. I spent the morning stretching and jogging with Deebo Samuel, who will be away for about a month. It doesn’t look like Williams will be back anytime soon.
5. DJ Jones nose tackle.
Did not practice after injuring his shoulder on Thursday. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said Jones was undergoing testing and they would have the results this afternoon. Stay tuned.
6. Jordan Reed tight end.
Still hasn’t practiced in training camp. Haven’t even done any positional drills since Day 1. Looks like the 49ers want Reed to be one of their six veterans on the practice squad this year. If he never trains at training camp and the 49ers give him up, another team probably won’t take him.
7. Wide receiver Dante Pettis.
Played mostly with saves, got seven targets, and didn’t catch any. It was 0 for 7. Pettis had a great practice on Tuesday – the best of his professional career – but came back today. He’s not consistent enough to be a starter. The coaching staff don’t even seem to have him competing for a starting position. Tuesday could have been a mirage.
8. Guard Tom Compton.
Compete for a starting point at the right guard with a guy who is now the starting center and still losing the competition. Compton was supposed to compete with Daniel Brunskill, but Brunskill passed through the middle because Ben Garland and Weston Richburg are injured. And Compton is still playing around with saves because he can’t block anyone. Even undrafted rookie Darrion Daniels is pushing Compton. He is weak. Today he shares time right with Colton McKivitz, who has wrestled all camp. This means the 49ers must find another guard. Perhaps they could convince Anthony Davis to quit his retirement. Or maybe I can bring him back. We go up the path.
