The first little step on the road to Week 1 has finished with the 49ers first-year players in 2022 getting to know each other in the rookie minicamp.
With the 2022 NFL Draft in the books, attention now turns to the upcoming offseason workouts and training camps as the San Francisco 49ers get ready to tackle the new season.
The Niners held their annual rookie minicamp from May 13 through 15 as a mix of drafted rookies, undrafted free agents and a handful of tryouts (players merely invited to participate in order to earn their way onto the extended roster) got to know each other and run some basic drills.
Read More: Brock Purdy not doing much to impress in 49ers rookie camp
Obviously, in such a brief minicamp there isn’t a lot that’s going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things, and indeed the drills consisted primarily of 7-on-7s, as there was a lack of available offensive and defensive lineman for a full scrimmage, but it was good to see the rookies on the field.
Here are some of the things that were noteworthy from the minicamp.
No. 1: Danny Gray was 49ers’ MVP of the minicamp
I’ve written articles before about how wide receiver Danny Gray could potentially be the pick of the draft class, and the early results have been promising.
The biggest knock on Gray was he could be considered to have hands of stone during his time at SMU, and if he was a better catcher of the football, he would have potentially been a second-round pick.
We saw the good and the bad of Gray at the minicamp but it was mostly the former. We saw Gray drop a pass he should have held onto, and he formed pushups as penance for that.
But we also saw Gray make some exceptional catches, including an acrobatic catch along the sideline. He’s very explosive, too, maybe even better than initially thought even as a speedy prospect, and it’s clear he has limitless potential in an offense like San Francisco’s that thrives in allowing receivers into space.
If the 49ers can give Gray the ball with nobody between him and the end zone, the defense won’t catch him. If he becomes a reliable target, he could look to be an astute pick even as a rookie.
No. 2: Brock Purdy is what we expected him to be
Quarterback Brock Purdy became the latest member of the Mr. Irrelevant club when the Niners selected him with the very last pick of the draft. While quarterback wasn’t a huge need, it made sense to add someone to fight for the backup role.
Purdy was someone who had good success at Iowa State but may not have the skills to translate to the NFL level. Namely, his arm strength was lacking to a big degree, which limited what he could do.
But on the plus side, Purdy is a born leader, has decent leg speed and he’s a good thrower of the football in the accurate sense.
If that doesn’t ring a bell, just think former San Francisco signal-caller Nick Mullens with the ability to scramble a little bit. A decently accurate passer who doesn’t have a good arm, but in a West Coast offense can put the ball where he needs to put it to allow his receivers to make plays.
We saw the throwing side of Purdy, and it was about what was expected. He was accurate in throwing shorter passes and dumping it off to running backs, but throwing the ball further down the field wasn’t very impressive.
On the plus side, the parts Purdy was expected to do, he did do. He’ll have a chance to be the backup quarterback for 2022, but it’s more than likely he’ll be stashed on the practice squad.
No. 3: Keke Chism may be the pick of 49ers tryouts
When you’re an undrafted free agent, as opposed to a higher draft pick such as Danny Gray, you need to take advantage of the chances you’re given.
When you’re essentially the NFL version of a walk-on, not even with UDFA status, that goes even further.
I mean, just getting your name in print would be an impressive feat in itself. But wide receiver Keke Chism may have just done that and gotten the 49ers’ attention in doing so.
In covering the initial practice of the minicamp, Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn honed in on Chism and his potential, pointing out:
"He made the best catch of the day — a leaping, twisting 20-yard back-shoulder fade. Made it look easy. Chism also caught two passes running full speed over the middle and gained Y.A.C. He’s a 6’5″ tryout guy who isn’t even an undrafted free agent. The 49ers should give him a contract pronto."
Chism is a 6-foot-5 prospect out of Missouri, who recorded 41 catches for 511 yards and three touchdowns last season. The Niners haven’t had many receivers his size in recent seasons, and head coach Kyle Shanahan has given undrafted prospects a chance in the offense if they look like they can contribute.
While there’s been a lot of attention on offensive linemen Dohnovan West and Jason Poe, as well as safety Leon O’Neal on the undrafted front, Chism might be just as intriguing an option if San Francisco decides to look at him further.
Chism also tried out for the Green Bay Packers in their minicamp and looked good there as well, so the 49ers will have to be proactive or risk losing him to Green Bay.