Now it gets serious at 49ers training camp.

The pads go on for the Niners on Monday, ratcheting up the intensity in practices that should give a much clearer picture of where the team is as San Francisco targets another run at the Super Bowl.

For the 49ers, the key storylines in camp surround the quarterback position. However, there are several other narratives that will become more compelling with the introduction of pads.

Let’s have a look at some of the main stories to follow as practices get substantially more physical for San Francisco.

49ers Training Camp: Storylines to follow as the pads go on

Brock Purdy’s elbow

There have been no signs of any problems with Purdy’s arm through his first two padless practices. Though he has understandably had to shake off some rust, Purdy does not appear to have lost any of the velocity he displayed during his remarkable rise last season.

But the 49ers have not yet had the opportunity to observe how Purdy’s surgically repaired elbow responds to throwing in pads.

Doing so will be another important test for him to pass on the road to starting under center in the 49ers’ season opener in Pittsburgh in September.

Purdy’s progress to this point has delighted the Niners. A series of successful practices in pads for the 49ers’ likely QB1 will only improve the mood of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.

Davis-Price’s jump

One of the unexpected stars of training camp to this point, Tyrion Davis-Price’s performances have earned him plaudits from Shanahan, who believes last year’s third-round pick has taken an evident leap.

An afterthought in his rookie year, Shanahan said on Sunday of the running back:

“I think he’s taken a huge jump since last year. I mean just the conditioning that he put in in phase one and two, what he did these 40 days away. Just how good he was the first day we saw him in terms of his stamina, how he’s running, understanding the offense, and what we want out of him more. I thought he had a great OTAs and he’s come back and he’s even having a better training camp.”

That additional stamina will be necessary for Davis-Price to maintain the explosiveness he has demonstrated so far while absorbing contact from defenders.

San Francisco won’t want to heighten the injury risk to Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell by exposing them to a significant amount of hits in practice. 

In that regard, the ability of Jordan Mason and Davis-Price to spell them and take some of the first-team reps will be critical. Impress while taking those reps, and Davis-Price can potentially look forward to a greater role than he had in a 2022 season hindered by a high-ankle sprain.

The TE2 battle

The identity of the backup tight end behind George Kittle is an as yet unanswered question for the 49ers, with Charlie Woerner, Ross Dwelley and draft picks Cameron Latu and Brayden Willis all potentially in the mix.

San Francisco needs more receiving upside from the second tight end than they have gotten in recent years, but none of that quartet can expect to be the primary reserve to Kittle without impressing in the blocking game.

The switch to pads, therefore, marks the point in camp where this battle may intensify.

Woerner is regarded as a blocking tight end first and has offered precious little in the receiving game since being drafted in 2020. Having played the third-most offensive snaps among tight ends last season behind Kittle and the now-departed Tyler Kroft, he is the man Latu and Willis will be looking to leapfrog on the depth chart, with Dwelley likely more of an outsider in this competition.

Third-round pick Latu was a little inconsistent as a blocker at Alabama but had success moving defenders off the ball, while seventh-rounder Willis was an excellent blocker in space at Oklahoma. 

Though it can often be difficult for rookie tight ends to make an impact in the NFL, the 49ers will ideally want one of Latu or Willis – most likely the former – to make the TE2 spot their own with a strong camp in preseason. Whoever stands out in the blocking game with the pads on may have a leg up on his rivals in this battle.

Jackson and Kinlaw’s development

Defensive end Drake Jackson and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw both entered camp with their physical conditioning very much under the microscope.

Jackson gained weight after his body struggled to deal with the strain of playing a full NFL season for the first time last year. Kinlaw, in an effort to finally stay healthy and make a long-awaited impact as an interior pass rusher, cut weight from his frame.

Both have been praised for their performances in padless practices to this point, but it is the padded sessions that will give a better impression of whether their respective conditioning efforts have had the desired impact.

More consistency in holding up against the run will be on the checklist for each player, and Kinlaw will desperately want to display explosiveness as a pass rusher that has often been lacking from his game due to the lingering knee issues that have hindered his career.

Jackson’s explosiveness off the edge is in little doubt, but the Niners will feel much better about him starting at defensive end if he can harness it regularly over the course of full padded practices.

For Jackson, it’s about proving he can be a long-term answer across from Nick Bosa at a premium position. Kinlaw is trying to salvage his 49ers career in a make-or-break year. The switch to pads will offer an insight into whether either aim is realistic.

The McKivitz question

The increase in physicality in the trenches should be enlightening for the 49ers as they continue to evaluate the player they have picked to succeed Mike McGlinchey at right tackle.

Colton McKivitz’s experience at tackle in the NFL is limited, with his last two starts coming on the left side in relief of an injured Trent Williams.

Yet McKivitz held up extremely well in each of those starts in pass protection and, though he may not be the same level of athlete as McGlinchey in the open field, McKivitz’s toughness and physicality theoretically increase his chances of succeeding in a run game that now relies on gap scheme runs as much as the Shanahan staple outside zone rushes.

McKivitz figures to be significantly challenged in both pass protection and in the run game by the 49ers’ much-vaunted defensive line. Any nerves about starting him in 2023 will lessen in severity if he can pass that examination.

Potential for punches

With more physicality and more aggression comes the prospect of training camp fights.

The 49ers had a high-profile one last season as Brandon Aiyuk and Fred Warner came top blows, and the former is a leading candidate to be involved in another scuffle this year.

Aiyuk has made good on the warning he directed at his teammates on the defensive side of the ball prior to camp, producing a string of dominant performances in the padless practices.

But with pads comes the potential of more physical press coverage from defenders. Will such aggression see tempers boil over again? Shanahan will certainly hope not.

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