49ers’ player stock report after Week 2 of 2019 OTAs

The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up their second week of organized team activities, and Niner Noise looks at which players saw their stocks rise or fall.

Two of the San Francisco 49ers‘ three weeks of organized team activities (OTAs) are in the books. And, thankfully, Week 2 of these padless offseason practices didn’t result in the swarm of injuries the Niners endured during their first week of practices.

Niner Noise already dished out a stock watch for the first week of OTAs. Now, with Week 2 in the books, it’s time to look at which players are rising or falling.

It can be a bit difficult to do, as members of the media have been granted only one practice per week to attend. But based off those reports, along from what can be inferred or reported elsewhere, it’s still possible to see how a number of players are faring on a week-to-week basis.

Case in point, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo looked to be in command of the field during 7-on-7 drills. The Niners are easing him back in slowly after his 2018 ACL injury and subsequent recovery, and he has yet to see full action in full-team drills. But the reports of him hitting targets with relative ease is always a good sign.

Garoppolo’s stock level already is pretty high to begin with, so there isn’t much need to include him on this list.  So is tight end George Kittle, who reportedly made easy work throughout OTA practices this week.

Instead, let’s take a look at some other players — both the risers and fallers — who made some notes, for good or bad, during the second week of 49ers OTAs in 2019.

Stock Up: Cornerback Richard Sherman

There appears to be a night-and-day difference for veteran cornerback Richard Sherman, who admittedly felt sluggish and not at 100 percent during training camp last year after suffering his 2017 Achilles injury.

The 31 year old nearly intercepted a pass on Wednesday by quarterback Nick Mullens, intended for wide receiver Dante Pettis, and would have done so if he managed to get both feet down in bounds.

Sherman’s secondary teammate, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, offered up some praise and discussed the difference in Sherman’s game between 2018 and now (h/t KNBR’s Taylor Wirth):

“He looks very good,” Witherspoon said of Sherman. “A lot of bounce in his step, breaking both directions well. I don’t see any limitations. It’s fun an exciting to watch.”

When asked if Sherman was showing an improvement over last year, Witherspoon responded “absolutely.”

Sherman wasn’t targeted often in 2018, largely because opponents focused on the less-experienced Witherspoon. Still, the Niners stand to benefit from a physically more-capable Sherman this season.

Especially given some of the question marks surrounding the secondary.

Stock Down: Quarterback Nick Mullens

Speaking of Nick Mullens, the 49ers’ backup quarterback had a rough day in practice on Wednesday.

San Francisco 49ers

In addition to the near interception by Richard Sherman, San Francisco’s late-2018 starter had difficulty hitting his other targets, too, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco’s post-practice report:

"–Middle linebacker David Mayo broke up back-to-back Mullens passes during a 7-on-7 drills on throws intended for receiver Kendrick Bourne and Dwelley. –Mullens struggled through the day, as safety Marcell Harris dropped another would-be interception."

Mullens is engaged in a position battle for the backup QB spot along with C.J. Beathard, who managed five touchdown passes, according to Maiocco. Last year’s numbers suggest Mullens should be far ahead in this particular competition, especially according to KNBR 680’s Al Sacco.

But the early showing doesn’t necessarily help Mullens’ cause.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan has stated both Mullens and Beathard will have an equal chance to secure the job.

In Week 2 of OTAs, it looks as if the edge is going in Beathard’s direction.

Stock Up: Punter Mitch Wishnowsky

Perhaps this will offer some solace for those fans wishing the 49ers selected anyone other than former Utah punter Mitch Wishnowsky in Round 4 of this year’s NFL Draft.

According to Matt Maiocco, Wishnowsky had a pretty impressive performance during the week, showcasing some coffin-corner and inside-the-5 kicks during practice:

Sure, the Niners may have been better off going another direction in the fourth round. But Wishnowsky’s ability to flip the field and pin opposing offenses deep inside their own territory can be a weapon in its own right.

If these kinds of performances carry over into the regular season, fans may soon forget he was the first specialist taken off the board in this year’s draft.

Stock Down: Wide Receiver Kendrick Bourne

There hasn’t been much of a buzz surrounding third-year wide receiver Kendrick Bourne during OTAs, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

But there has been, however, a good deal of buzz surrounding one of his primary competitors at the position, veteran wideout Jordan Matthews.

Matthews was a riser during the first week of OTAs, and he also continued his growing rapport with Jimmy Garoppolo, hauling in a touchdown and rather hilariously tossing the football into the players’ parking lot, hitting a car, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows.

Bad football tosses aside, Matthews and Bourne are likely competing for a single spot on the regular-season roster. Bourne, who led all Niners wide receivers in 2018 with 487 receiving yards, appears to be losing the early phase of this position battle.

That won’t help his chances to stick around, even if it is early.

Stock Up: Defensive Back Tarvarius Moore

As if the 49ers were listening to Niner Noise talk about why cornerback defensive back Tarvarius Moore should be moved back to his natural free safety spot, that’s what happened in practices this week.

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh told reporters the move was to accommodate a number of injuries, namely to safety Jimmie Ward (collarbone). But according to The Athletic’s David Lombardi, keeping Moore at safety is something San Francisco could strongly consider:

Niner Noise recently explained why bumping Moore, the 49ers’ third-round pick from a year ago, could be beneficial to the defense:

"For starters, a single-high safety requires speed to range from sideline to sideline. Moore has that, with some to burn. Going through some of the film, it appeared as if Moore played much better with the action in front of him, as opposed to reacting to cuts in coverage. Additional scouting reports from early in 2018 suggested Moore had top qualities as a free safety, too."

Moore could have a tough time climbing the depth chart at cornerback this season, especially with both Richard Sherman and Ahkello Witherspoon playing well, initially. But by serving as a safety, where San Francisco has far less depth, Moore’s stock level should see a nice uptick between now and the regular season.

Stock Down: 49ers Injured Rookies

It’s not uncommon to see a lot of players miss time with injuries early in OTAs. After all, it’s the first moderately heavy-duty action back on the field after months away from practice.

That said, these early reps are crucial to improve stock levels for first-year players and those on the roster bubble.

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Here are some first-year players who missed practice on Wednesday:

• EDGE Nick Bosa (hamstring)
• WR Jalen Hurd (knee)
• LB Azeez Al-Shaair (undisclosed)
• CB Tim Harris (undisclosed)

The 49ers keeping Bosa out isn’t too much of a surprise, given their first-round investment in him this NFL Draft. But for the others, OTAs offer a much-needed chance to solidify a roster spot and to impress the coaching staff.

Particularly for those rookies on the fringes of the roster, such as Al-Shaair and Harris.

Keep an eye on these two in particular, as their placement on the depth chart is completely up in the air between now and Week 1.

Stock Up: Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel

Last week, Jimmy Garoppolo touched on just how explosive rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the Niners’ Round 2 NFL Draft pick this year, was during practices.

And it seems as if that explosiveness is carrying over into Week 2 of OTAs.

Matt Maiocco explained a couple of plays from Samuel in his post-practice report:

"Rookie receiver Deebo Samuel showed his explosive run-after-the-catch abilities when he took a pass from C.J. Beathard on a slant and sprinted the rest of the way into the end zone. Samuel also caught a 9-yard TD pass from Beathard in 7-on-7."

Kyle Shanahan was attracted to Samuel, mainly due to the former South Carolina standout’s footwork and route-running abilities. It’s not hard to see why, especially when looking at 49ers.com’s Joe Fann’s film clips from Samuel’s drills a week ago:

Samuel appears to be in excellent shape to secure a starting wide receiver job opposite Dante Pettis, who struggled a bit in this week’s practices. Pettis doesn’t have much to worry about, regarding his roster placement. But Samuel has some stiff competition amid a crowded wide receiver corps heading towards training camp.

So far, Samuel is taking advantage of every opportunity thrown his way, literally.

The 49ers kick off their third week of OTA practices on Monday, June 3.