The 49ers wrapped up two days of mandatory minicamp before canceling Day 3, and these five players certainly stood out among the participants.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has had a bit of a trend when it comes to abbreviating offseason workouts so far during the 2022 offseason.
Shanahan already cut short the final third of organized team activities, electing to bump up mandatory minicamp to essentially take the final week of OTAs. And then, following two days of minicamp, Shanahan canceled the third and final day.
Perhaps Shanahan has seen what he needs to see or doesn’t want to push his players too hard with training camp scheduled to kick off next month. Maybe a mixture of both. It’s anyone’s guess.
Regardless, the two-day mandatory practice sessions revealed some clear-cut standouts among the 90-man offseason roster, and it’s worth pointing out the notable performances as we begin to carve away the speculative 53-man roster heading towards the regular season.
Here are five Niners players who made the most out of the two-day session.
No. 5: 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings
San Francisco’s biggest wide receiver news at mandatory minicamp was the return of All-Pro Deebo Samuel. And while Samuel didn’t partake in on-field drills and practices amid his contract-extension talks, it was nevertheless good to see him in attendance.
The middle and back end of the receiver depth chart is crowded, though, and there should be no shortage of competition once training camp rolls around.
One player who did a good deal towards solidifying a role in 2022 is third-year pro Jauan Jennings, who emerged as quite the go-to target for quarterback Trey Lance on the first day before being given the second day off.
Check out what the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch had to say about Jennings’ efforts:
"On the third snap of the San Francisco 49ers’ 12-play red-zone period during Tuesday’s practice, wide receiver Jauan Jennings beat slot cornerback Darqueze Dennard and caught a fade from quarterback Trey Lance in the left corner of the end zone. On the next snap: Jennings beat Dennard again, this time over the middle, for another touchdown pass delivered by Lance. Three snaps later: Jennings, working on the right side, shook free from cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, snagged a pass from quarterback Nate Sudfeld and raised his right arm triumphantly to celebrate another score. It was part of a strong performance from Jennings, who had a practice-best five receptions, catching every pass on which he was targeted, and earned praise afterward that didn’t smack of standard offseason puffery."
Jennings, who made such an impressive impact his second year in the NFL last season, seems poised to retain a WR3 role behind Samuel and fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk, and practices like these will ensure Shanahan relies heavily on Jennings in key situations.
No. 4: 49ers wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud
Sticking with the wide receiver theme here, the 49ers’ offseason free-agent pickup of former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout and return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud could pay off dividends.
McCloud might not figure much into the Niners offense in 2022. But with rookie receiver Danny Gray sidelined with a hamstring injury, Kyle Shanahan let the veteran take plenty of snaps on day two of minicamp practices.
And by all accounts, McCloud made the most of them.
Trey Lance threw a perfect dime to Ray Ray McCloud III today at #49ers’ practice on a deep ball. The downfield passing attack has a chance to be dynamic. McCloud has been electrifying during these practices. His explosion at the catch point is impressive.
— Larry Krueger (@sportslarryk) June 8, 2022
Granted, OTAs and minicamps don’t feature bump-and-run coverage by defensive backs, so McCloud was able to get some free releases. However, getting behind safeties and into open areas of the secondary with relative ease is noteworthy enough.
This is one aspect of Shanahan’s offense that will certainly be exploited with Trey Lance’s strong-arm capabilities, and it’s good to see other options outside of Gray making the most of deep-field attempts.
If McCloud winds up displaying this sort of deep-threat prowess, he’ll certainly wind up seeing an uptick on offense and performing more than just a return specialist this upcoming season.
No. 3: 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley
San Francisco made considerable effort revamping its cornerback room this offseason, highlighted by the free-agent pickup of former Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Charvarius Ward and then supplemented by drafting former Toledo nickel corner Samuel Womack and re-signing the veteran, Jason Verrett.
What this means for fellow cornerback Emmanuel Moseley is simple: He’s now competing for a starting job and won’t have a straight line to securing one.
However, Moseley hasn’t done anything in offseason workouts to suggest he’s in danger of losing a prominent role, at least according to Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn:
"[Moseley] broke up a long pass near the sideline intended for Brandon Aiyuk, who waited for the ball to get to him. Moseley did not wait. He pounced and swatted the ball away as it hit Aiyuk’s chest. Moseley has given up zero big plays in front of the media this offseason. He wins most of his matchups."
Womack, too, earned praise and could end up securing the No. 1 nickel role this season, perhaps meaning Moseley will have to secure the No. 2 boundary position opposite Ward and over Verrett, the latter working his way back from an ACL tear suffered early in 2021.
This is notable for cornerbacks, as they’re not allowed to engage in press coverage right from the snap and typically have to match opposing receivers step for step in off coverage.
So far, Moseley has been equal to the task.
No. 2: 49ers EDGE Kemoko Turay
The 49ers’ pass-rushing room is going to look a bit different in 2022 than it did for much of last season, namely in the wake of the inevitable parting of ways with oft-injured EDGE Dee Ford and with defensive end Arden Key signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the offseason.
Pro Bowl EDGE Nick Bosa made his appearance during mandatory minicamp but only partook in sideline workouts, not on-field drills.
And while there was plenty of attention on the Niners’ top pick from this year’s NFL Draft, EDGE Drake Jackson, it’s looking as if the top pass-rusher so far has been another free-agent pickup, former Indianapolis Colts EDGE Kemoko Turay.
From Grant Cohn:
"The most explosive edge rusher on the field during team drills (remember, Bosa suited up but didn’t practice). Turay has an extremely quick first step and he does a good job of bending underneath the offensive tackle’s reach as he rushes around the edge. He won lots of matchups and frequently had to slide to avoid touching the quarterback."
While he has dealt with injuries for much of his pro career, the 26-year-old former second-round draft pick established himself as a quality rotational pass-rusher last season for Indy, notching 5.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits over 13 games played.
San Francisco would ideally like to get Jackson into a featured role opposite Bosa sooner than later, but early signs are pointing to Turay being a key option on third downs to supplement the pass rush.
Good for Turay.
No. 1: 49ers quarterback Trey Lance
With the 49ers having excused veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from minicamp, in light of his offseason shoulder surgery, Trey Lance has been given all first-team reps and the responsibility of engineering the offense at all levels.
It would be fair to wonder if the second-year pro might shirk at the experience, perhaps being overwhelmed by suddenly being “the guy.”
Well, that hasn’t happened.
On day one of minicamp, Lance went 14-of-18 passing with four touchdowns and an interception on a drop by Brandon Aiyuk. On the second day, Lance responded with a 10-of-15 line with two deep touchdown passes against an interception.
All that is great, yes. But it’s the leadership aspect that’s arguably standing out in a bigger way.
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“As a leader, I just feel like he’s stepped up,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said of Lance, via 49ers Webzone. “He’s just a very natural leader, a guy people gravitate toward. It’s all been good so far.”
It’s important to note two things here with regards to Lance. The 22-year-old No. 3 overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft is still young and inexperienced, yes. And that concern won’t go away until it eventually does. It’s also important to acknowledge these practices lack a true pass rush, and receivers typically have the advantage.
But if Lance was struggling in these offensive-friendly scenarios, that’d be a problem.
It hasn’t been at all, and that’s good.