The San Francisco 49ers concluded their second day of on-field activities for training camp Saturday, and Niner Noise has the latest reports and storylines.
Day two of San Francisco 49ers 2017 training camp wrapped up on Saturday, with a number of new faces making impactful plays, and others continuing strong efforts.
A big part of the deal was seeing first-round draftee, defensive end Solomon Thomas, taking the field in actual practices for the first time since signing his four-year contract early on Friday.
Thomas managed to make an impact with the second-team unit, switching between the “big” defensive tackle and 3-technique positions throughout practices.
San Francisco 49ers
Niners Wire’s Chris Biderman broke down Thomas’ highlights:
"The highlight of Thomas’ day was when he rose up and batted down a pass from Matt Barkley at the line of scrimmage. He also ate up a double team on a running play and forced Joe Williams to kick outside, where Williams was met by linebacker Dekoda Watson, who forced a fumble."
Tank Carradine is currently working these spots with the first-team unit. But it wouldn’t be a shock to see Thomas swap places with the underperforming EDGE at some point in the near future.
WR Marquise Goodwin and CB Rashard Robinson Battle It Out
Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin could easily be the offensive MVP over the first two days of camp. He hauled in a number of contested passes on Friday, and managed to follow that up with a 70-yard catch-and-run touchdown from quarterback Brian Hoyer.
Matching up with Goodwin for most of the day was cornerback Rashard Robinson, who is slated to be the team’s No. 1 corner this season.
49ers.com’s Joe Fann described this competition:
"Goodwin and Robinson had a few notable 1-on-1 battles downfield. Robinson held up very well against Goodwin’s speed. Unsurprisingly, he continues to show that he’s the top corner on the 49ers roster. There was a brief scare when Robinson came up hobbling after one play, but luckily it was just a small cramp. He later came back into practice."
Robinson later described the battle, via Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group:
These two might be among the fastest players on San Francisco’s roster, so this competition will be one to watch.
Quarterback Brian Hoyer with a Cannon?
Hoyer isn’t exactly known for being a prolific signal-caller with a cannon arm.
But that didn’t seem to be the case Saturday.
Hoyer was 13-of-19 during practices, per Rob Lowder of Niners Wire, and two of his incompletions were throwaways and the other was a Pierre Garcon drop.
Garcon did say, later, he was impressed by Hoyer’s arm:
What has surprised Pierre Garçon about Brian Hoyer?
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) July 29, 2017
"I didn't know he could throw the ball that far. He loves to throw the deep ball."
Backup quarterbacks Matt Barkley and C.J. Beathard have struggled a bit so far, and it’s looking like Hoyer is putting to rest any doubts about securing the starting job.
DB Lorenzo Jerome Continues to Impress
Undrafted free-agent safety Lorenzo Jerome is making a strong case to stick around on the 53-man roster.
Jerome already recorded an interception on Friday, and he backed it up with yet another during Saturday’s practices. It was his fourth of all offseason activities.
As Niners Wire’s Jerod Brown showed, Jerome’s natural instincts and fluidity are surely rare for a defensive back with practically zero NFL experience:
I’d fully expect Jerome to have a roster spot this September.
Safety Jimmie Ward’s Injury Not Too Serious?
The 49ers lost free safety Jimmie Ward to a hamstring injury on Thursday, resulting in a placement on the physically unable-to-perform list.
Ward does have an injury history, but this could merely be a precautionary move.
And according to Kevin Jones of KNBR 680, it’s looking like Ward is closer to making a return than initially anticipated:
Jimmie Ward is already running sprints on a side practice field. Don't think the hamstring is going to keep him out long
— Kevin Jones (@Mr_KevinJones) July 29, 2017
The Niners will likely take things slowly with Ward until he’s fully recovered. He’s listed as week to week, although PUP rules specify he can return to practice at anytime.
Fellow safety Jaquiski Tartt primarily filled in for Ward at free safety.
Next: Top takeaways from first day of 49ers training camp
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