The San Francisco 49ers ramped up their activity on Day 11 of Training Camp, re-incorporating a variety of 1-on-1s, team drills, move-the-ball periods, and 2-minute drills.
Offense
Quarterbacks
Trey Lance had one of his strongest training camp performances yet, completing 14/17 passes, while scoring a rushing touchdown in the redzone on an efficient performance where the quarterback constantly was able to move the ball down the field.
Note that top cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and Charvarius Ward both did not play in the scrimmage portion of Tuesday's practice, while the entire starting offense was on the field for the 49ers.
Read more on an entire breakdown of Lance's performance here.
Backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld completed 7/10 passes with three touchdowns in the redzone, first connecting with receiver Willie Snead in the back of the endzone and Troy Fumagalli over the middle on a good catch for back-to-back scores. Then, Sudfeld found Marcus Johnson in the back of the endzone for a touchdown, finishing a successful redzone period.
Sudfeld did have multiple completions off screen plays, obviously boosting his completion percentage, and also missed wide once and overthrew Ross Dwelley on the final play of scrimmage.
However, it was another successful scrimmage for the backup quarterback, who will look to finish strong on Wednesday, which is the final practice of training camp.
Brock Purdy didn't see much action, completing two of his three attempts, with the one incompletion being a drop by wide receiver Danny Gray on a third down conversion. Once again, Purdy's limited arm strength was on display during a 40-yard completion to Malik Turner, where the ball sailed in the air for a few seconds, but still was completed as the receiver was wide open.
Running Backs
The running backs had a fairly good day, with each of the running backs having a highlight moment of their own on Tuesday.
Top back Elijah Mitchell didn't appear to play much during the scrimmage portion of the day, as the remainder of the running backs split the first-team carries with Trey Lance.
Jeff Wilson Jr. had the biggest run of the day, exploding through the right side of the offensive line and getting to the second and third levels of the defense on what could've potentially been a long touchdown.
The 49ers started the day strong while running the football as Wilson got a 15-20 yard run and Trey Sermon followed the play with a 15-yard run of his own to the right end on the very next play, showing good burst on the carry.
Jordan Mason got himself a couple of carries, including a six-yard run with the third team where he continues to show his physicality and power while running the football in limited reps.
Tyrion Davis-Price was caught in the backfield for a couple of losses on plays, but those reps were more so due to the defense getting there immediately, with Akeem Spence recording two tackles for loss, while Javon Kinlaw got a stuff for no gain of his own.
In addition to his good gain, Trey Sermon caught a 9-yard screen pass from Nate Sudfeld, where he weaved around the defense after the catch for the good gain.
JaMycal Hasty got in the action as well, recording an explosive touchdown run in the redzone on what was a successful day for the 49ers in that area.
While there were a number of short gains(0, 1, and 2-yard runs), there were also a number of splash plays by the running backs on Tuesday, illustrating the ups-and-downs for the day for the unit.
Wide Receivers
Top receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel both had good performances without the top cornerbacks present, with the former having four catches on the day, including three 15+ yard plays, while the latter caught two passes, with the second potentially being seen as a touchdown in the redzone.
Aiyuk consistently got open and was frequently targeted by Lance in the intermediate portions of the field, catching a 15-yard slant on what appeared to be a misplaced pass, as well as a wide-open 20-yard pass with much more after the catch. Additionally, Aiyuk was targeted on 3rd & 17 by Lance and converted with a 20-25 yard catch.
While Samuel has originally struggled to win and separate on go-routes, he's dominated on other routes, catching balls on a comeback and out-route today for his two receptions.
Ray-Ray McCloud continues to be heavily targeted by the second-team offense, seeing three targets on consecutive plays, which included two first downs, during the 2-minute drill period.
After another quiet performance on Sunday, Jauan Jennings got two targets on Tuesday and was open on both, earning one catch on a third-down conversion to move the chains. Jennings also made a nice play against Dontae Johnson in a 1-on-1 rep, although he was locked up by slot cornerback Darqueze Dennard on a separate play.
Malik Turner continues to be a factor on a day-to-day basis, catching a 40-yard pass from Brock Purdy on a route that got him wide open down the field. He's the most surefire deep threat of the backups currently.
During 1-on-1s, Tay Martin made a number of nice plays, including a high-pointed catch over Samuel Womack in the endzone. While Turner likely has the edge on him currently to make the roster, he has been the next-best receiver and is a prime practice squad candidate.
Tight Ends
The tight ends finally saw action in the redzone on Tuesday, as Troy Fumagalli and Tanner Hudson caught touchdowns from Nate Sudfeld and Brock Purdy, respectively.
Fumagalli has been a sleeper candidate to make the roster, as he's been seen running with the first-team offense and has made an array of catches in training camp to date.
It's also worth noting that George Kittle's lone target today came during the 2-minute drill, where he was targeted heavily during the first 2-minute drill session last week. After the redzone period was finished, Kittle and Lance spent time on the side working on their connection within the 20-yard line.
Offensive Line
The 49ers had their starting offensive line out there on Tuesday, with projected starter Jake Brendel getting the first-team snaps at center after Daniel Brunskill earned the role on Sunday.
1-on-1s returned between the trenches, giving the 49ers a look at the Nick Bosa-Trent Williams battle. During their sole rep, I called it a tie between the two as Bosa powered the left tackle back, while Williams anchored well.
Rookie guard Spencer Burford continued to impress in 1-on-1s, showcasing his raw strength. He beat Kevin Givens, Tomasi Laulile, and Akeem Spencer on different reps, losing just once in a defense-favored drill to Robert Nkemdiche.
Second-year guard Aaron Banks continued his battle against defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, losing an early rep due to Kinlaw's long arm, but later beating Charles Omenihu on a rep.
Undersized rookie Jason Poe continues to be the surprise of the 1-on-1 battles, as he beat Nkemdiche, Alex Barrett, and Kerry Hyder on separate reps, continuing to inch himself towards a potential 53-man roster spot.
On the other hand, sixth-round selection Nick Zakelj has initially struggled in camp, which was seen during the 1-on-1 drills where he consistently got beat via power or speed.
On several occasions on Tuesday, during the scrimmage, the offensive line held up well for several seconds before the pressure got there, although there were some coverage sacks, skewing the overall numbers in regard to their performance.
The rapport between the interior offensive linemen continues to be worked on, which will be a factor to monitor during the preseason given their lack of reps together.
Stay tuned for Tuesday's coverage!
- Rohan Chakravarthi
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Written by:Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
