49ers vs. Chiefs: Full Week 1 preseason grades & analysis

Quarterback

It is well established that quarterback Brian Hoyer is the starter for this 49ers team. That was evident in the short time Hoyer was on the field, as he only attempted four passes (completing one of them for three yards for a quarterback rating of 39.6). It was not the best outing, but it is too small of a sample size to draw on.

What’s not established is the No. 2 position, and there is definitely a battle going on for that right now between veteran Matt Barkley and rookie C.J. Beathard. The two played the rest of the way after Hoyer played two series. This how they fared:

• Barkley – 10/17 for 168 yards, 0 touchdowns, 92.3 rating
• Beathard – 7/11 for 101 yards, 2 touchdowns, 133.0 rating

It was an efficient outing for the rookie quarterback, who looks to be gaining ground on Barkley.

Grade: B-

Running back

The talk of 49ers training camp so far has been centered around running back Carlos Hyde and his stellar play. While some may of hoped to see that on display during Friday’s game, it appears that play has warranted caution regarding the utilization of the running back in ultimately meaningless games — Hyde only carried the ball two times. This shows the team clearly believes in Hyde as the starter, as they don’t want to risk any injury.

This preseason will be more about the shaking out of the depth chart behind Hyde, and a pair of rookies are coming on strong. Fourth-round draft pick running back Joe Williams had seven carries for 60 yards, flashing his elite speed:

Undrafted running back Matt Breida had 11 carries for 40 yards, but featured several plays that showed his ability to break tackles:

Those two will be fighting it out with veteran Tim Hightower for the No. 2 and No. 3 spots behind Hyde, making for one of the more interesting position battles in camp.

Grade: A-

Wide receiver/Tight end

For a majority of the game, the wide receivers were lackluster for the 49ers. The starters, Pierre Garçon, Jeremy Kerley and Marquise Goodwin, all played only a handful of series. Considering that most of the wide receiver spots are all but locked up, there is really only one competition going on at that group — for the few final spots on the roster.

And a player fighting for that spot made the play of the game. Up until the fourth quarter, the offense had yet to register a touchdown. That quickly changed in a instant, on a superb play from quarterback and wide receiver:

Notice the step-up in the pocket from Beathard before making the throw to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who then uses a juke move to elude the defender. It was a nice sequence of events on both ends.

Hailing from FCS-level Eastern Washington University, Bourne was signed as an undrafted free agent this offseason. Bourne played alongside record-setting wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who broke 15 FCS records and was a  2017 third-round draft pick for the Los Angeles Rams. Last season, Bourne recorded 79 receptions for 1,201 yards and 13 touchdowns. It’s between Bourne, fellow undrafted rookie Vic Bolden Jr., DeAndre Smelter and Aaron Burbridge for those last few receiver spots.

Grade: C+

Offensive line

There has been one position group that has gone unnoticed in terms of roster construction for the 49ers as of recently, and that’s the offensive line. Aside from tackle Joe Staley, the team truly has no dominant players on the line. That low priority is now taking effect:

And factoring in Staley’s age, soon the line will be without a top blocker. So, as DeSimone notes, it should be priority No. 1 and is something to watch for this season.

In all, the 49ers offensive line allowed three sacks and seven quarterback hits. The team rushed for a total of 188 yards on 36 carries, averaging 5.2 yards a carry.

Grade: C