49ers news: Trey Lance, Deebo Samuel and other minicamp takeaways

The 49ers kicked off their first day of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, and there are some notable points to make from these first required practices.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan elected to scratch the final week of organized team activities while kickstarting the Niners’ next phase of offseason workouts, mandatory minicamp.

Day one of minicamp kicked off on Tuesday, June 7 outside of Levi’s Stadium.

There were some pretty rapid developments leading up to this required practice session. Perhaps the biggest difference between the OTA period, mandatory minicamp is, well… mandatory. Unless a player is actually excused, of course.

San Francisco isn’t requiring quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to attend, as he rehabilitates from offseason shoulder surgery, and it appears as if the 49ers are still on track to try trading him at some point later between now and Week 1 once he’s fully recovered.

That means all the first-team reps will go to fellow signal-caller Trey Lance, as was the case during OTAs.

Getting Lance some extra field time and experience is going to be vital for the Niners to maximize their top investment from the 2021 NFL Draft.

And by nearly every account, Lance is seizing the opportunity, as we’ll break down in our top takeaways from day one of minicamp.

49ers minicamp takeaway No. 1: Trey Lance has his best practice yet

As is always the case with padless practices without actual tackling or physical contact, it’s important to take Lance’s production under center with a grain of salt. However, what would be more concerning is if Lance was struggling in this context without a real pass rush and without receiving targets being able to get off the line of scrimmage minus the usual bump-and-run coverage at the snap.

Well, Lance isn’t struggling here.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn, Lance went 14-of-18 with four touchdown passes and a lone interception, one which bounced off wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s chest.

Getting a fuller crop of offensive weapons is certainly beneficial, and the signs are beginning to point to Lance taking full ownership.

This development will be vital for the second-year quarterback, especially as he looks to gain both the confidence and chemistry needed when intensity picks up during training camp and the preseason later this summer.