{"id":286986,"date":"2025-08-14T08:39:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T08:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/286986\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T08:39:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T08:39:14","slug":"49ers-news-wholl-step-up-today-in-joint-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/286986\/","title":{"rendered":"49ers News: Who\u2019ll step up today in joint practices?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How 49ers\u2019 featherweight corner Jakob Robinson has made the team take notice (paywall)<\/a>
\u201cThe San Francisco 49ers<\/a>\u2019 undrafted rookie cornerback made himself a bagel slathered with peanut butter and honey before trekking to Bagels Tea in Huntington Beach for a bacon, egg and cheese croissant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was focused on eating food all day until I wanted to throw up, literally,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cI\u2019d be gagging in my room after eating my two breakfasts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gorging and gagging while training at the Sports Academy in Seal Beach helped get Robinson to the NFL: He gained 18 pounds in three months to tip the scales at 181 pounds. That\u2019s not a misprint. Yes, he weighed 163 pounds as a senior at BYU, and his weight raised questions about his ability to play at the next level.<\/p>\n

That was nothing new. Robinson, who is 5-foot-10, received just two Division I scholarship offers as a 140-pound senior at Orem (Utah) High School. Two years earlier, he weighed just over 100 pounds, or less than a Great Dane.\u201c<\/p>\n

49ers stock report: 6 risers (and a few fallers) through 3 weeks of training camp (paywall)<\/a>
\u201cThis is an interesting competition. The 49ers are looking for someone who can be an emergency replacement at center or guard if there\u2019s an injury during a game. Hennessy is a better center than guard. Zakelj is a better guard than center.<\/p>\n

Hennessy\u2019s stock is higher at this point because he played better in Saturday\u2019s game, and because Shanahan needs to make sure he\u2019s got insurance at center. After all, he went through six of them during a disappointing 2020 season, and starter Jake Brendel will turn 33 next month. Meanwhile, seventh-round rookie Connor Colby has looked good recently and might end up providing depth at guard this season.\u201c<\/p>\n

Meet the 49ers undrafted rookie (with a superhero nickname) pushing for a roster spot (paywall)<\/a>
\u201cThe 49ers have had some injuries on the defensive line, which has opened the door for Valdez \u2014 just like it did at Montana State. He had started hitting the weight room hard at Monte Vista High near San Diego, and was a strong 235 pounds when Howe first noticed him. The plan was for Valdez to build his weight up gradually, but Valdez was forced to play because of injuries in his first year in 2021.
After that, there was no stopping him.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u201cHe would eat, go work out, then go eat and then come back, and you\u2019d see him in there rolling out his whole body, stretching, stretching with bands,\u201d Howe said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t just get bigger. He got faster, twitchier, more flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montana State used a \u201ccheetah\u201d package, designed for four defensive ends, on passing downs \u2026 but Valdez never came off the field.\u201c<\/p>\n

Colton McKivitz, 49ers fans\u2019 pet scapegoat, uses criticism to fuel his climb (paywall)<\/a>
\u201cPeople would \u201cwave and be like, \u2018Can I run with you?\u2019 Sure enough, a 50-year-old guy comes running, and a couple other marathon runners (run) with us. They\u2019d sprint up the hill and I\u2019d try chasing after them. They were super polite. They\u2019d give you a weird stare. You\u2019re dodging Waymos and bikes, but it\u2019s just cool to embrace the city this team is (representing). Not a lot of guys do it, but it\u2019s just a cool place to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKivitz\u2019s scouting report:<\/p>\n

\u201cKearny is the steepest and worst hill in San Francisco. Vallejo (Street) has a beautiful view of the Bay Bridge. \u2026 With Kearny, you are looking into downtown, and it\u2019s just straight vertical. So Kearny was definitely the worst. \u2026 You look up at it and you\u2019re like, \u2018You ready?\u2019 And then you just go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Azim has a strong background in boxing and UFC, so he got McKivitz into that world, too. They didn\u2019t do any actual sparring, but they worked with bags and handheld pads. They did pummeling, a wrestling-type training that deals with leverage, body positioning and use of hands.<\/p>\n

After a session of bringing the city\u2019s hills to their knees, Colton and the family would head over to Crissy Field to let Cedar and Teddy swim in the bay.\u201c<\/p>\n

49ers reportedly signing record-setting UFL receiver<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDie-hard 49ers fans might recognize Turner\u2019s name. He had two previous stints with San Francisco, spending time on the practice squad in 2022 and again in 2024.<\/p>\n

Most recently, Turner starred for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). In this year\u2019s UFL Championship Game, he set a league record with 168 receiving yards and three touchdowns, though his Panthers ultimately fell to the DC Defenders.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old wideout finished the 2025 UFL regular season with 365 receiving yards and four touchdowns, then added another 269 yards and four scores in the postseason.\u201c<\/p>\n

49ers reportedly signing two edge rushers amid injury concerns<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDemone Harris began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018, later appearing in games for the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans. After briefly retiring in August 2023, Harris returned to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. Over 23 career games, he has recorded 22 tackles (three for loss), four quarterback hits, and two passes defensed.<\/p>\n

William Bradley-King entered the league as a seventh-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2021. He later spent time with the New England Patriots in 2023 and the Miami Dolphins in 2024. In four career games, Bradley-King has tallied seven tackles and 0.5 sacks.\u201c<\/p>\n

Injured 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk embraces his role as player-coach (paywall)<\/a>
\u201cHe almost one day was like, \u2018Man, why don\u2019t you let me run a meeting?\u2019\u201d Hankerson said. \u201cI was thinking, I can\u2019t let you run a meeting, but I can give you a play or so that you can talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The star wide receiver has regularly accompanied Hankerson to the SAP Performance Facility practice fields, having embraced his temporary role as an auxiliary coach throughout OTAs and the opening weeks of training camp\u2026\u2026\u201cBA is BA,\u201d cornerbacks coach Ray Brown said. \u201cHe\u2019s very confident. I absolutely love it. He\u2019s been great because I literally ask him, \u2018What are the things that give you issues? What do you like to see from a corner? When a guy\u2019s pressing you, what are the things you\u2019re looking at?\u2019 So he can coach me up from what he sees from his lens.\u201d<\/p>\n

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