These 49ers players benefited most from Vikings joint practices

Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
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Samuel Womack, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel Womack III #26 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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.