49ers stock watch: Who’s up and down after preseason win over Chiefs?

The San Francisco 49ers pulled off a 27-17 win over the Chiefs to start the 2017 NFL preseason. Niner Noise takes a look at who’s stock is up and down after this ugly and messy contest?

A strong fourth-quarter effort from the majority of San Francisco 49ers backups and role players handed head coach Kyle Shanahan a 27-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs to kick off both teams’ preseason campaigns.

Overall, the game was messy. San Francisco was penalized 17 times for 131 yards. First-team units struggled early on, and there are a number of remaining issues yet to be addressed.

The good news, though, is these games don’t count. Unless you’re a player trying to climb the depth chart or even land a spot on the 53-man roster once it’s formed.

For these reasons, exhibition games are important. And it’s worth taking inventory on 49ers players who saw their stock either rise or fall.

In this slideshow, we’ll look at both players and units from both sides of the equation.

Starting off with San Francisco’s presumed No. 1 cornerback, Rashard Robinson, who didn’t exactly have the best start to the contest.

Cornerback Rashard Robinson

Second-year corner Rashard Robinson didn’t get off to a great start on Friday night in Kansas City.

On the very first snap of the game, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith found wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a 32-yard gain, whom Robinson was covering. Robinson then missed a would-be tackle on running back Spencer Ware, which resulted in a nine-yard gain. Kansas City scored shortly thereafter.

Early in the second quarter, Robinson was nearly victimized again by wide receiver Chris Conley, who had the cornerback beat for a would-be touchdown, only to see it nullified after committing an offensive pass-interference penalty.

Robinson made up for it somewhat later on the drive, picking off backup QB Tyler Bray to end the drive. But Bray overthrew the ball right to Robinson, so make of that what you wish.

Robinson is slated to be San Francisco’s top cornerback this season. Watching the game back, one of the issues standing out was his inability to jam faster receivers at the line of scrimmage.

This is something Robinson will certainly try to address in practice, but it wasn’t a good start for a top defensive back expected to operate in a lot of one-on-one coverage this season.

Stock: Down

Running Back Joe Williams

Rookie running back Joe Williams had a sluggish start to training camp and didn’t generate too many headlines until the few days before San Francisco’s first preseason bout.

But Friday’s contest showed a lot why head coach Kyle Shanahan and running backs coach Bobby Turner were so intent on getting him in the NFL Draft.

Williams’ numbers from the game — 60 yards on seven carries — speak good measure already. He averaged 8.6 yards per carry, after all.

Yet what’s impressive was Williams’ ability to showcase his blazing speed, especially on outside runs when he was able to turn the corner and cut upfield with relative ease.

The Niners used Williams in a variety of ways, giving him outside runs and working him through the middle in certain situations.

It’s unlikely Williams unseats presumed No. 1 tailback, Carlos Hyde, by Week 1. Although it wouldn’t be a shock to see him challenge someone like Tim Hightower for the second tier of ball-carrying duties this season.

Stock: Up

Cornerback Will Redmond

The 49ers have a position battle at the nickel corner spot, and it’s primarily being fought between K’Waun Williams and Will Redmond.

If Friday night’s game is any indication, Redmond is losing this battle.

During the local broadcast, 49ers color commentator Tim Ryan pointed out how hesitant Redmond was in coverage, seemingly behind on every play.

And former NBC Sports Authentic producer Dylan DeSimone noted what the future could hold for the former third-round draft pick:

Redmond was the last of former general manager Trent Baalke’s infamous “All-ACL” picks, and it’s important to note the cornerback missed all of his rookie season a year ago.

He’s certainly behind in his development, although the Niners are in no position to be patient with his potential. Redmond will struggle to make the 53-man roster.

Stock: Down

Wide Receivers Kendrick Bourne and Aldrick Robinson

Wide receiver is an interesting position for the 49ers this year, as it’s a group that has gone through a massive overhaul from last season.

Two of these names, Kendrick Bourne and Aldrick Robinson, are surely in the discussion.

Robinson, who played under Kyle Shanahan with the Atlanta Falcons last year, looks to be a safe bet to make the team.

Plays like this one — a 63-yard reception from quarterback Matt Barkley in the first quarter — do enough to suggest what kind of impact the 28-year-old receiver could have:

Robinson finished the game with two catches for 83 yards.

Not to be outdone, Bourne ended up leading all Niners receivers with four grabs for 88 yards and a touchdown. While Bourne’s touchdown was scored primarily because Kansas City’s defender fell down, Bourne’s subsequent two-point conversion was certainly impressive:

Bourne still has a way to go to ensure a roster spot. But showings like these certainly go a long way.

Stock: Up

Running Back Kapri Bibbs

Veteran running back Kapri Bibbs wasn’t a factor on the offensive side of the ball, but that’s not exactly why the 49ers traded for him earlier this offseason.

Bibbs is more of a special teams ace, although his efforts on one particular play didn’t bode well for his roster chances.

At the 7:14 mark of the third quarter, the 49ers faced 4th-and-6 and elected to punt from the Chiefs 42-yard line. Kansas City generated interior pressure, and Bibbs should have picked up Chiefs linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, who managed to get by Bibbs and block Bradley Pinion’s punt.

Kansas City recovered at the Niners’ 8-yard line and scored a touchdown the subsequent play.

Bibbs is hardly in the discussion for depth at running back, and special teams would likely be the only reason he makes the 53-man roster.

What happened here doesn’t do Bibbs any favors.

Stock: Down

Quarterback C.J. Beathard

Rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard isn’t looking entirely like a project signal-caller and has come on late in training camp, even putting himself in the discussion for the 49ers’ No. 2 quarterbacking spot, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan (h/t Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News).

Granted, Beathard’s NFL debut was far from perfect.

On two occasions, Beathard looked indecisive and held onto the ball for too long, resulting in sacks.

But on this 46-yard touchdown play, Beathard does an excellent job feeling the pressure and steps up in the pocket to avoid the rush, taking a hit but delivering an underthrown-but-effective pass to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne:

“It’s like peripheral stuff,” Beathard said of the play, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. “You can feel it around you when the pocket is closing in around you and you have to move a little bit. It’s something that all quarterbacks have to deal with and figure out as they get older.”

Beathard finished the contest 7-of-11 for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

There’s a long way to go to overtake Matt Barkley for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart, but this initial impression is good enough.

Stock: Up

Quarterback Brian Hoyer

In his first action since joining the 49ers as a free agent, veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer didn’t exactly have the opportunity to get into any rhythm.

Hoyer’s night ended after just two drives, and his final stat line posted just one reception on four attempts for a mere three years — a passer rating of 39.6.

His lone completion was a simple three-yard play to running back Carlos Hyde.

Hoyer did, however, complete a nice 15-yard pass to wide receiver Jeremy Kerley on a 3rd-and-12 play the previous drive. It was negated by an illegal-formation penalty, however.

It’s way too early to read into this much. But, ideally, Hoyer would have engineered at least one solid drive during his limited time on the field.

More to work on for San Francisco’s first-team offense.

Stock: Down

Solomon Thomas, Reuben Foster and the 49ers Front Seven

Yes, it’s just preseason. But here’s a fun stat to chew on — the 49ers allowed just 187 yards of total offense, and only 31 of those came on the ground.

It’s significant, considering how bad San Francisco’s run defense was a year ago.

The Niners got some key contributions from their two first-round draft picks, Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster.

Foster nearly picked off quarterback Alex Smith in the end zone in the first quarter, but the rookie linebacker’s presence was still felt for almost all of his time on the field.

Thomas was even more impressive, playing almost three quarters and late into the game — unusual for highly touted draft picks.

Still, Thomas was a disruptive force against both the run and the pass, resulting in an 88.2 game grade, per Pro Football Focus.

Thomas is currently competing with defensive lineman Tank Carradine for a starting job along the 49ers defensive line.

Right now, it seems to be Thomas’ to lose.

Stock: Up

The Offensive Line

One of the major themes during 49ers training camp has been how badly the offensive line has looked against San Francisco’s revamped defensive front.

Yet Kansas City boasts a pretty impressive defensive line as well, and this mismatch was on full display throughout the course of the game.

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With second-year guard Joshua Garnett (knee) out for at least a month, the Niners are going to be pressed to find adequate replacements to ensure interior protection is met. The team also parted ways with center Jeremy Zuttah not long ago, so that leaves this group a little shorthanded.

Two of the three sacks the O-line allowed could be attributed to Niners quarterbacks. But second-year tackle John Theus whiffed on a block, and that doesn’t bode well for his chances to make the roster.

Overall, San Francisco’s O-line performed better in pass protection early on than run blocking. It’s an issue, however, as head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense relies heavily on the ability to properly execute his outside zone-blocking scheme.

Continued issues here could set back the 49ers offense all season and force the team to make some major changes during the upcoming offseason.

Stock: Down

EDGE Aaron Lynch

Not long ago, edge rusher Aaron Lynch was the subject of scrutiny for his weight gain and showing up to camp out of shape.

Lynch looked much better during his first preseason outing, constantly creating pressure and putting up two sacks and batting down one pass at the line of scrimmage.

Here’s one of those sacks against rookie Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes:

Granted, the majority of time Lynch spent on the field was going up against second- and third-string units for Kansas City. Lynch should be able to dominate this tier of the competition, so it will be interesting to see how well this translates over into an increased role.

But with Lynch already under the microscope earlier and entering a contract season, performances like these go a long way in increasing his value heading towards the regular season.

The 49ers may not start Lynch at the edge, but he’s looking like a solid option as a situational pass-rusher.

Teams can never have too many of those.

Stock: Up

Next: 49ers vs. Chiefs: The good, bad and ugly from preseason Week 1

Stay tuned to Niner Noise for ongoing preseason coverage as we gear you up for the 2017 season!