49ers 2018 training camp: Friday, July 27 recap and analysis

As the San Francisco 49ers wrapped up their second day of training camp for 2018, Niner Noise looks at what stood out on the field.

This San Francisco 49ers team is going to be good. Really good.

Everything I saw today at the SAP Performance Facility on the second day of training camp, the final practice for all of the players before their pads come on, eliminated any doubts I had with this team. Guys, get excited.

That word “overrated” to describe the team will soon change to “underrated.”

Read on to see why I became a true believer in this team’s aspirations after going to see practice.

What Lack of a Pass Rush?

The 49ers’ pass rush has been universally considered as the weakest link on the team by far. After what I saw today, I actually think it may be a stronger one.

Edge rushers Cassius Marsh and Jeremiah Attaochu were putting pressure on the quarterbacks all practice long. Since this was a no-contact practice, all the quarterbacks comfortably completed their passes on every snap. However, in a real-game situation, most of the completions would actually turn out to be sacks by the two. Interior defensive lineman DeForest Buckner also earned a lot of great pressure from the inside.

This entire offseason, the pass rush is the part of the team I thought was going to hold San Francisco back from being legitimate contenders. Now, I have a good feeling that this team has a real shot.

Richard Sherman’s Health and Relationship with Ahkello Witherspoon

I sat in the part of the field where the defensive backs were practicing most of the time, so I got a good look at newly acquired cornerback Richard Sherman, who is coming off a torn Achilles last season.

In every individual drill, Sherman looked 100 percent. It is very safe to say that Sherman has the ability to return to prime form at some point this season because he looked good out there.

What I even enjoyed more about Sherman’s development was his relationship with his teammates, especially Ahkello Witherspoon. Sherman and Witherspoon seemed to be always together.

Sherman has become a true mentor to second-year cornerback Witherspoon, and the two should form a devastating tandem in the secondary.

Richie James’ Chances of Making the Roster

Seventh-round rookie receiver Richie James is a player that I have been high on since he was drafted in April. However, the receiving core on the team is just so crowded that I didn’t think James would have the best shot at it.

However, observing this practice told me that James would not only have a 100 percent chance of making the roster, but should also have a big role on the offense in the 2018 season.

James caught everything headed his way, even when coverage was very tight. He was getting a lot of reps and it is very clear that the coaching staff loves him.

How’s Jimmy G Doing?

Admittedly, I didn’t see much of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, as he was on the far side of the field for most of the practice. However, I did get to see a couple of throws that he made, and they were (mostly) on point.

There was one throw that blew the entire crowd away during a 7-on-7 period. It was a play action play where Garoppolo was pressured and threw a perfectly placed duck to a receiver, who had three defenders around him. Yes, it was a duck, but it was perfect and amazingly accurate.

So yes, Kiara Mia did not ruin Jimmy.

Matt Breida Impresses

Again, the offense was on the far side of the field for most of the practice, but when running backs punch out long runs, they ran all the way to my side of the field.

Let me just say that running back Matt Breida ran over to my side a lot.

Breida was consistently juking out the defense and making big plays on offense. He was heavily involved in both the run and pass game.

If Breida continues to make strides in improving himself as a running back, I could see Shanahan scaling down No. 1 tailback Jerick McKinnon‘s reps and turning McKinnon and Breida into a Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman two-headed backfield back as Shanahan did with the Atlanta Falcons not long ago.

Fantasy owners, watch out for Breida in the late rounds.

Adrian Colbert and Dante Pettis are class acts

Oh man, the line to get autographs from players was rough. The crowd was insane, but safety Adrian Colbert and wide receiver Dante Pettis stuck through all of it, which must have took incredible patience from the both of them.

A Levi’s Stadium employee told us, “Those guys are nice. They stayed till the end yesterday too.”

Two Fun Facts

Kyle Shanahan acted as the scout offense quarterback. He threw nice spirals and was pretty accurate. Let’s hope the Cleveland Browns or Buffalo Bills don’t take notice and snag him in a trade or something.

During the team drills, employees started holding up signs prohibiting audience members to have their devices out. Shanahan and Lynch are taking all precautions that Spygate 2.0 is not happening.