What 49ers preseason win vs. Packers truly revealed on Friday night

Preseason games don’t count, but the 49ers’ exhibition win over the Packers on Friday showcased a number of impact takeaways.

Friday’s contest between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers carried none of the intensity that existed last January when these two teams squared off against each other in the NFC divisional round of the playoffs.

However, the Niners came out on the winning side of both games.

For head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad, Friday’s 28-21 victory was about two essential components: the 2022 rookie class and quarterback Trey Lance, who entered this season as the unquestioned starter after mostly riding the bench behind Jimmy Garoppolo a year ago.

With the bulk of San Francisco’s starters not suiting up, Lance was tasked with at least showing some prowess after an up-and-down training camp.

And while Lance’s first offensive series had some positives, him going 2-of-3 with a 7-yard rushing play, his lone pass on his second drive was outstanding, which is a massive tell heading into the 2022 season.

Trey Lance long touchdown pass was oh-so impressive

After missing rookie wide receiver Danny Gray on third down his first drive, Lance subsequently found the speedy wideout for a deep 76-yard touchdown:

For starters, cross off any lingering questions about Lance’s arm strength. That’s not a factor.

More importantly, though, this kind of touchdown throw deep down the field and outside the numbers isn’t a throw Garoppolo would make with any sort of regularity, if at all during a game. Garoppolo tended to live in between the numbers and only to a maximum distance of 10 yards downfield.

The 49ers have something they didn’t have since Shanahan took over in 2017: a vertical passing attack.

49ers have their deep threats in Danny Gray, Ray-Ray McCloud

Another thing Shanahan hasn’t had at his disposal the last couple of years was a true deep threat, at least not since veteran wide receiver Marquise Goodwin was on the roster in 2018.

Gray, who led the Niners with 99 receiving yards on two catches against Green Bay, has that 4.33 40-yard speed, and he figures to be that gadget-type weapon who can stretch the field.

Not to be outdone, though, veteran receiver Ray-Ray McCloud hauled in his own 39-yard touchdown off the hand of backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld after McCloud easily got behind the Packers defense.

While Gray and McCloud may not get a ton of targets this season, they’ll certainly help open things up for fellow wideouts Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

49ers rookies make a massive impact vs. Packers

Initially, it appeared as if San Francisco’s 2022 NFL Draft class and undrafted rookies would provide supplementary depth, not necessarily immediate impact.

Week 1 of the preseason could help change that narrative.

It won’t with third-string quarterback Brock Purdy, per se, as he’ll have a tough time cracking a QB3 role on the 49ers’ 53-man roster. But his touchdown-scoring, two-point conversion-getting drive that ended up winning the game in the fourth quarter shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Lance, Sudfeld and Purdy finished with passer ratings of 158.3, 132.0 and 108.3, respectively.

The Niners’ top pick from the 2022 draft, EDGE Drake Jackson, was a pass-rushing force before exiting in the second quarter because of a shoulder stinger, and his athleticism is something San Francisco is banking on to make an impact right away even if he’s a rotational player.

Even undrafted linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball came up with an interception he was able to return for 57 yards.

However, the 49ers’ top-performing rookie had to be fifth-round cornerback Samuel Womack, who appears to be the favorite for the starting nickel back role.

Especially after recording two interceptions, one of which he stripped out of the hands of Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs:

https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1558265146346090496

“I work for what I get,” Womack told reporters after the game.

Judging by those comments, he could get a lot, provided his play replicates this preseason effort.

49ers poised to start Spencer Burford at right guard

While many of the Niners’ rookies saw extensive time, few saw as many snaps as rookie fourth-round offensive guard Spencer Burford, who appears to be in the lead for the starting right guard spot after playing the bulk of first-team snaps there during training camp.

Burford opened up the game as the starter and stayed on the field well into the third quarter, potentially indicating that San Francisco wants to give him as many reps as possible heading into the regular season.

For the most part, Burford’s efforts were overwhelmingly positive, him regularly pancaking defenders and opening up interior rush lanes.

While the 49ers may still have some question marks about the interior of their offensive line, Burford appears to be answering at least one of them.

Perhaps that’ll be a storyline to watch when the Niners visit the Minnesota Vikings for Week 2 of the preseason.