The engine of any 49ers transformation will be their rebuilt defensive line. This 14-man unit is a work in progress and it immediately commanded attention in Wednesday\u2019s first practice of training camp.<\/p>\n
Defensive tackle Alfred Collins made his practice debut as a second-round pick, and he did so with fellow newcomers Bryce Huff, Mykel Williams, and C.J. West.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look out on the field, you see NFL bodies out there that look impressive, which is a good thing,\u201d Nick Bosa said of the defensive front he\u2019ll lead in Year 7. \u201cObviously we\u2019re young. But just because nobody knows them now, if they play a good couple of games, then the world knows them. It\u2019s pretty exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing was more intriguing than the sight of Williams, this year\u2019s top draft pick, lining up on the interior next to Huff at left end. It\u2019s not like they blew up a play but that combination could be game-changing, especially if Bosa is on the line, too.<\/p>\n
Bosa said he\u2019d be willing to work on the interior during this camp, too, but he noted about Williams\u2019 versatility: \u201cMykel is comfortable with it and I think we\u2019re going to utilize him there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lost a lot of defensive linemen and had to add a lot. It was nice to get Mykel and Alfred out there together for the first time,\u201d coach Kyle Shanahan said. \u201cTheir size jumps out. They\u2019re trying to get back into this and learn a lot. I\u2019m excited to go watch the tape on them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bosa was kept out of team drills and simply observed, as did running back Christian McCaffrey and left tackle Trent Williams. Bosa still looks like an Adonis, but this season\u2019s biggest myth \u2014 until proven otherwise \u2014 is that he will have a new and improved supporting cast.<\/p>\n
Now Bosa is trying to improve as a leader for an overhauled defense that welcomes back Robert Saleh as its coordinator. The 49ers burned through three defensive coordinators the past four years, since Saleh\u2019s first stint (2017-20) overlapped with Bosa\u2019s NFL entry in 2019. \u201cHis commanding presence in the defensive meetings is, uh, is what we needed,\u201d Bosa said.<\/p>\n
For starters now, Bosa \u201clikes\u201d this group of linemen.<\/p>\n
Williams is recovered from the hamstring issue that limited him to individual conditioning the last two weeks of spring workouts. Huff, the trade acquisition from Super Bowl champion Philly, meshed immediately and was head-bobbing to the AC\/DC music during warmups. Collins\u2019 size (6-foot-5, 332 pounds) exudes NFL-ready talent, but we have a month to gauge whether he or West can unseat Jordan Elliott and Kevin Givens on the interior.<\/p>\n
Here are other initial impressions from the 49ers\u2019 first practice:<\/p>\n
Jauan Jennings looks in shape, physical, and very present in his red No. 15 jersey. He and Demarcus Robinson ran routes and served as targets during initial warmups for the three quarterbacks \u2014 Brock Purdy, Mac Jones and Tanner Mordecai. During the first full-team drills, Jennings caught his two targets, including one in traffic against starting cornerback Renardo Green. Purdy overthrew Jennings on a similar route the next session; Purdy threw in the offseason away from the facility with Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle and Mason Pline, but not Jennings.<\/p>\n
Wide receiver Jacob Cowing pulled his hamstring in warmups, Shanahan said. Cowing opened practice as a punt returner alongside rookies Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen. Cowing has had an impressive offseason, so the 49ers will be closely monitoring the severity of his injury.<\/p>\n
Cowing\u2019s injury could prompt them to add another wide receiver, a day after signing Equanimeous St. Brown, Shanahan said. The wide receiver corps is already thin with Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk on the Physically Unable To Perform list.<\/p>\n
Purdy\u2019s first training camp snap as a quarter-billion-dollar quarterback saw him complete about a 30-yard pass down the right side to Kittle. Then came peculiar interceptions. A wobbly throw was seized by safety Jason Pinnock, then Dee Winters jumped a short route over the middle for a more impressive theft.<\/p>\n
Shanahan said of Winters\u2019 pick: \u201cThe quarterback just missed him. (Winters) was reading his eyes. The quarterback should have turned it down but he got aggressive with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Purdy, upon buying an offseason home near Nashville, had extra throwing sessions with Kittle the past month, working on their staples such as fake crossing routes, throwbacks and double moves. But they opened this camp\u2019s team drills with an uncharacteristic connection: Kittle lined up right and ran a high-corner route against Deommodore Lenoir.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s supposed to go to Jauan (Jennings). D-Mo, the corner, he dropped me because he\u2019s supposed to carry me and we never throw that ball,\u201d Kittle said. \u201cAs soon as he dropped me, I was, \u2018Nice! Sick.\u2019 Then Brock threw it. It\u2019s just fun to execute like that on the first play.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will say the defense was not expecting us to throw a pass on the first play, which is always fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forget all the receiver issues and remember this is a run-first offense that can be sensational with Christian McCaffrey, who looks healthy and raring to go as he took pitches and passes from Purdy in warmups. With him safely kept away from full-team drills, the running back reps were split among Isaac Guerendo, Patrick Taylor Jr., Israel Abanikanda, Jordan James and Corey Kiner.<\/p>\n
First action out the gate \u2014 and on the new field aligned east-west \u2014 is the revamped special teams. New punter Thomas Morstead punted to Cowing, Watkins and Bergen, while other players worked on techniques behind Morstead. Both Jake Moody and Greg Joseph each made 4-of-4 field goal attempts, all inside 50 yards but in a new direction (west) on the new field.<\/p>\n
Bosa said of the kicking competition: \u201cI actually am paying attention to it. Can\u2019t lie. It\u2019s kind of exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
While that kicking competition attracted attention, Pearsall went through a vigorous individual workout with head trainer Dustin Perry, and they seemed pleased with the results. Pearsall is on the Physically Unable To Perform list, likely until Sunday. He joined fellow receivers and chatted with Purdy as practice continued.<\/p>\n
The 49ers converted their short, artificial-turf field into natural grass, then rotated the direction of their practice field to run east-to-west. \u201cI felt nauseous out there. We\u2019re creatures of habit. I didn\u2019t know where to go today,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cWe can rotate them. It\u2019s our first 120-yard field. lot more room and it\u2019s nicer. But it\u2019s a work in progress. I\u2019ll give it three days and see what we do next.\u201d<\/p>\n
That new field is where the majority of Wednesday\u2019s work was done, and it was the furthest spot away from the east-side bleachers where a few hundred fans watched from afar.<\/p>\n
Monday will be the 49ers\u2019 first day in full pads.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not much changed on the first-string units from the spring but some noteables:<\/p>\n
Luke Gifford lined up at strong-side linebacker next to Fred Warner and Dee Winters.<\/p>\n
Ji\u2019Ayir Brown returned from ankle surgery and joined Jason Pinnock as a starting safety tandem.<\/p>\n
Offensively, Spencer Burford filled in for the observing Williams at left tackle, while Guerendo took over for McCaffrey.<\/p>\n