The 49ers had their rookies report to training camp this week as San Francisco prepares to ramp up preparations for another run at the Super Bowl.

San Francisco’s first-year players will not do any on-field drills this week. Instead, the focus will be on strength and conditioning until 49ers veterans and the coaching staff return next week.

Even when they get on the field, it’s difficult to see too many rookies pushing for prominent roles on a team that boasts arguably the most talented roster in the NFL.

But Kyle Shanahan is a head coach who understands the value of competition and he will be keen for his rookies to make an impression as soon as possible.

For any rookie, making the roster is goal number one, but what should be the assignment for each member of the 49ers’ draft class as they set about making the 53 and having an impact in their maiden campaign? Let’s examine the respective challenges facing those draft picks that are now in the building in Santa Clara.

One goal for each 49ers draft pick in training camp and preseason

Ji’Ayir Brown – Find a way to earn defensive snaps

It may be ambitious for the third-rounder to threaten to take over a starting role from a veteran free safety in Tashaun Gipson, who is coming off one of the finest seasons of his career in 2022. Gipson intercepted five passes last season.

However, Brown has already flashed his playmaking ability in OTAs and minicamp, and has a versatile skill set that the 49ers should look to utilize early on. He can play the deep middle, in the slot and is effective blitzing from the secondary.

His range of abilities figure to be extremely useful to a defense that has thrived in part because of versatile athletes such as Fred Warner and Talanoa Hufanga.

Being able to get Brown out there even sporadically would increase the menu for defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who played a significant role in San Francisco’s decision to draft Brown.

There are several capacities in which the 49ers can deploy Brown, it’s up to him to prove to the coaches that it is worth putting him on the field, whether that’s as a starter or in specific packages, right off the bat with strong performances in camp and preseason.

Jake Moody – Foster confidence

The 49ers had little doubt in their decision to select a kicker in the third round, but Moody has some way to go to convince the wider public that it was the right move.

San Francisco picked Moody in part to give them a kicker with a much stronger leg than what they had at their disposal last year with Robbie Gould.

That is an understandable thought process, as having a kicker with the power to convert from 50-plus consistently gives the Niners another option when drives stall in that no-man's land just shy of true field goal range.

Still, it will only take a few rookie wobbles in camp for some to reprise questions about his selection. Moody needs to quiet them with a strong camp and by converting when called upon in preseason.

Cameron Latu – Secure the TE2 spot

Latu was regarded in some corners as a reach by the 49ers in the third round, and he’ll do little to disprove that assessment if he can’t make the second tight end role his own.

His primary competition for the backup job behind George Kittle is 2020 sixth-round pick Charlie Woerner, who has operated primarily as blocking tight end so far in his pro career.

Latu showed a proclivity for moving defenders off the ball at Alabama and excelled blocking on the move, but he adds a pass-catching element that is missing from Woerner’s game.

Though his athleticism has been questioned, there is an underappreciated smoothness to Latu’s route-running. On top of that, he has a good feel for where to settle into zones and can uncover on scramble drills.

A red-zone threat who caught 12 touchdowns over the final two seasons of his college career and averaged 14.1 yards per reception, Latu is the type of talent who can thrive in the two-tight end formations that San Francisco was extremely effective throwing the ball out of last year. 

Only two teams averaged more adjusted net yards per attempt out of two-TE sets than the 49ers (8.6) last year.

The challenge for Latu is to make sure he is front of the queue to benefit from the 49ers’ proficiency from those formations

Darrell Luter Jr. – Recover and win trust

Luter’s training camp has already been complicated by him being designated as Physically Unable to Perform.

It has not been confirmed what his injury is, but it is an early blow to San Francisco’s shaky outside corner depth.

The 49ers need to have options they can trust at that spot behind starters Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir. Right now they are few.

Luter not being available would further open the door for others on the depth chart, namely Ambry Thomas, Samuel Womack III and undrafted free agent D’Shawn Jamison, to stake their respective claims.

The 49ers could also look to the veteran free agent market for insurance. For Luter, the goal is now simple: recover from the injury and convince the coaching staff he can be trusted as the main backup to the two starters on the outside.

Robert Beal Jr. – Showcase explosiveness

The Niners got an endorsement for Beal from Georgia coach Kirby Smart, and were convinced to draft him in part because he topped the charts in their in-house metric that measures get-off.

San Francisco values explosiveness off the snap over anything else when it comes to pass rushers.

Beal has that in spades and complements it with rip, swipe and long-arm moves. For a fifth-rounder, he enters the NFL with an impressive level of refinement to his game.

Behind Nick Bosa and Drake Jackson, there is a clear opportunity for Beal to earn snaps as a designated pass rusher as a rookie. 

He will face competition from the likes of Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell – though the latter may see more playing time inside – but if Beal can make an impression in camp with his get-off, the 49ers may be happy to turn to him occasionally on passing downs. 

There’s still a chance the 49ers could bring in another veteran edge rusher to improve their depth, a strong camp from Beal would lessen the need.

Dee Winters – Create backfield disruption

Winters was a walking splash play in his final season at TCU as the Horned Frogs reached the National Championship. He racked up 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, extremely impressive numbers for a linebacker at any level.

Barring injuries, he won’t have the chance to replicate that kind of production in the pros as a rookie. 

However, if he can flash his ability to create disruption in the backfield regularly during camp, he could work his way into the plans of Steve Wilks as an additional blitzer.

It’d be a push to suggest Winters could start early on for the Niners at sam linebacker on base downs, but over the long term his playmaking ability could make things uncomfortable for Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, the favorite to succeed Azeez Al-Shaair in that role. Still, Winters cannot harbor such ambitions without a strong start to camp.

Brayden Willis – Highlight versatility

It will be difficult for every rookie to make the roster, and it is usually particularly tough for seventh-round picks.

But tight end Willis’ path is made a smidge easier by his versatility. Willis played as an in-line tight, split out in the slot, as an H-back and as a fullback during his time at Oklahoma. 

He is an impressive blocker on the move and, though he is not the most imposing athlete, Willis has previously shown some encouraging prowess as a route-runner and at the catch point.

Given how often the 49ers split Christian McCaffrey out as a receiver, they theoretically have little need to carry more than five wide receivers. Therefore, there is potentially a roster spot for a fourth tight end, and that could be Willis if he can convince the coaching staff his multiplicity merits a spot on the 53.

Ronnie Bell – Avoid the doghouse

There is potential for Bell to challenge to be the fifth, or potentially sixth, receiver on the roster. He brings inside-out versatility, toughness after the catch and possible contributions in the return game.

But before a wide receiver in the Shanahan offense can dream of any kind of role, he must make sure of a place in the good graces of a coach who is famously hard on wideouts. 

For Bell to have a chance of making any kind of impact year one, he needs to stay out of Shanahan’s so-called ‘doghouse’.

That means being properly prepared and in the correct shape to withstand the rigors of an NFL camp. For Bell, who suffered an ACL injury in college, conditioning is paramount as he hopes to win a roster spot.

Jalen Graham – Impress on special teams

The 49ers, of course, have recently become used to their final pick in the draft making a surprise impact in year one.

It’s fair to say former Purdue linebacker Graham won’t have anything close to the impact Brock Purdy made as a rookie. Despite some strong numbers in making plays on the ball in coverage – he had 12 pass breakups and three interceptions in his final two seasons for the Boilermakers – Graham’s avenue to a roster spot is likely to be on special teams.

San Francisco might hope to sneak Graham onto the practice squad. Impress in the often forgotten phase of the game, and he can afford to have at least some hope of a place on the 53.

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There won't be much of a spotlight on this rookie class after a draft in which the 49ers did not have a pick in the first two rounds.

But if several of this group can rise to their respective challenges, a roster seen by many as a standard bearer in the NFL will be that much deeper.

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