49ers biggest winners, losers from first week of 2021 OTAs

Winner: 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan

Somewhat lost in the discussion this offseason is the fact OTAs are voluntary, although no one appeared to tell that to the 49ers.

Or at least they’re not skipping out on them in large numbers.

Roughly 80 players are in attendance for these initial practice sessions, and the ones who aren’t are of the injured variety. And when considering the contrasts between Kyle Shanahan’s squad and that of Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, as broken down by NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco and Joe Fann, it’s safe to say Niners players want to be partaking:

Without diving too deep into whatever’s going on in Seattle, it is refreshing to see Shanahan helming a team that wants to be present and avoid skipping out on practice sessions, even if they’re voluntary.

Considering no NFL team had the benefit of on-field OTAs last season, those squads with close-to-full participation could get a bit of an advantage here.

Especially with some of the revamped and reinforced positional units like the offensive line and secondary.

Either way, this is a notable win for Shanahan, who has seemingly installed a positive culture despite many of the setbacks endured last season.