49ers Training Camp: D-Line dictates but Brock Purdy receives lofty comparisons
After a long and hot 10th practice of training camp, Fred Warner and George Kittle were each asked the same question, and came up with the same answer. Speaking on NFL Network's 'Inside Training Camp Live', they were both pressed to declare which side of the ball won the day. The defense was the response […]
After a long and hot 10th practice of training camp, Fred Warner and George Kittle were each asked the same question, and came up with the same answer.
Speaking on NFL Network's 'Inside Training Camp Live', they were both pressed to declare which side of the ball won the day. The defense was the response from both.
On another day when the 49ers were without Nick Bosa as his holdout rolls on with amid seemingly zero concern from his head coach, San Francisco's depth on the defensive line was all too apparent in practice.
Despite the defense's superiority in the trenches, Kyle Shanahan would have had sufficient reason to come away pleased with what he saw from his starting quarterback in the penultimate practice before the 49ers head to Las Vegas to test themselves against the Raiders.
49ers Training Camp: Key Takeaways from Day 10
Kocurek’s deep D-Line shines again
Over recent years, defensive line coach Kris Kocurek has earned a reputation for taking pass rushers who have struggled to fulfil their potential elsewhere and turning them into contributors for the 49ers.
If Monday's practice is any indicator, he could have three such success stories in 2023.
The 49ers' Bosa-less defensive line hounded San Francisco's quarterbacks in the final practice open to fans.
Two of the stars of the show were players signed to become the latest members of Kocurek pass rusher rehabilitation program in free agency, former fourth overall pick Clelin Ferrell and his ex-Clemson teammate Austin Bryant.
Ferrell was reported as recording a third-down sack on Brock Purdy during a move-the-ball red zone period and beating All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams for a tackle for loss on Christian McCaffrey.
Bryant, who returned to practice following a spell on the sideline through injury, was attributed with three sacks by ESPN's Nick Wagoner.
On top of that pair, Kocurek recently acquired another former high draft pick to revitalize. Taco Charlton, taken in the first round by the Cowboys in 2017, was signed last Tuesday and in under a week has gone from free agent to getting first-team reps.
Given the sheer level of top-tier talent in a defensive line group that features Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave and former second-round pick Drake Jackson, the 49ers are going to have a difficult task deciding who makes the 53-man roster. San Francisco will likely keep nine or 10 defensive linemen.
But in a league where defensive success is heavily contingent on pass rush, that is a tremendous problem to have.
Gipson grabs another
Turnovers are typically quite volatile, and production in that regard is difficult to sustain from year to year.
As such, the 49ers might be seen as regression candidates in that area having tallied 30 last season, tied for the second most in the NFL.
But San Francisco's defense has set its sights on even more in 2023, with the 49ers' linebackers taking to practicing juggling to improve their hand-eye coordination.
One of their linebackers, Dre Greenlaw, was involved in a turnover on Monday, as he tipped a Brock Purdy pass into the arms of safety Tashaun Gipson.
For Gipson, it marked his third interception of Purdy during training camp.
The veteran safety enjoyed an unexpected renaissance last year for the 49ers, leading the team with five interceptions, and signed a one-year contract to stay with San Francisco this offseason.
Gipson's long-term replacement at free safety is already in place, the Niners having drafted Ji'Ayir Brown with their top pick this year.
But the football keeps finding him in camp. If that translates to the regular season, he could sign off from what is likely to be his final year with the Niners in prolific fashion.
High praise pours in for Purdy
It was not Purdy's greatest practice by any means, but it was still one in which he displayed exactly why he is the 49ers' undisputed QB1.
Wagoner had Purdy as finishing the team period eight of 17 with three passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown and the interception to Gipson.
Yet he recorded four of those incompletions as being catchable balls to Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Danny Gray.
Though he did not get a great deal of assistance from his pass-catchers, Purdy still provided the highpoint of practice from an offensive perspective, tossing three straight touchdowns in the red zone period to Jauan Jennings, Tay Martin and Willie Snead IV.
That ability to deliver in the congested area of the field on a day where Brandon Aiyuk was rested may serve to increase confidence Purdy can maintain the level of play that saw the 49ers average a league-leading 33.6 points per game when he was starter last year.
Belief in Purdy is certainly not in short supply among his teammates, with the Niners signal-caller the subject of some eye-catching comparisons after practice.
Ferrell, per NBC Sports Bay Area, compared his competitive spirit and mental toughness to that of Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. Linebacker Oren Burks, meanwhile, likened Purdy's poise to that of Aaron Rodgers.
Whether such comments are over the top is open for debate, but there is no question that the gulf between Purdy and the quarterbacks battling for the QB2 role is vast.
Sam Darnold and Trey Lance each took 16 reps with the second string, and neither appeared to stand out. Darnold was four of seven and should have had a pass intercepted by Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles.
Lance did have a ball picked off by the same player, as he went three of four, throwing a touchdown pass to Chris Conley and running for another score.
A clearer picture of who is winning the battle for the lead backup role will come when the 49ers face the Raiders in their preseason opener on Sunday. Purdy will almost certainly watch that exhibition contest from the sideline with the rest of the starters.
The 49ers may take a new running back with them to Vegas. San Francisco, per ESPN's Field Yates, worked out four — Duke Johnson, Brian Hill, Jeremy McNichols and Jason Huntley —with Elijah Mitchell still out with an adductor injury.
Nick Bosa’s training camp absence clearly of no concern to Kyle Shanahan
Calm remains the overriding emotion amid his holdout.
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