These 49ers players benefited most from Vikings joint practices

Joint practice with Vikings benefits 49ers CB Samuel Womack

No other rookie flashed as much against the Packers than nickel cornerback Samuel Womack, who received a massive boost of confidence for a starting role this season after the 49ers dismissed veteran defensive back Darqueze Dennard amid the first wave of roster cut-downs.

Womack’s two-interception night was a notable bonus for his stock value heading into 2022, yet going up against Green Bay B-teamers and backups was vastly different than facing off against the Vikings’ first-string offense consisting of quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receivers Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn.

The rookie broke up a pass on the first day of practice during one-on-one drills, although Cousins still went 14-of-21 passing amid the Niners being without most of their starters.

On the second day of practice, Womack correctly red a screen pass from Minnesota and broke through the scrum to initiate a tackle for what would have been a minimal gain.

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The Niners entered these practices shorthanded in the secondary, minus safety Jimmie Ward and cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and Charvarius Ward, all of whom aren’t expected to return until Week 1 of the regular season at the very earliest.

That left Womack a little exposed, perhaps, but trusting him to defend on an island in the middle of the secondary will be a vital step towards his reliability getting even better.

Womack and the rest of the Niners square off against Minnesota for Week 2 of the preseason on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. ET.