Clear-cut studs, duds from 49ers preseason win over Vikings

It started ugly for the 49ers, offensively, but a 17-7 preseason win over the Vikings showed some promise from the studs who played Saturday night.

The San Francisco 49ers are 2-0 in the 2022 preseason, and that means absolutely nothing.

However, the Niners’ 17-7 Week 2 exhibition win over the Minnesota Vikings did reveal plenty for head coach Kyle Shanahan despite him fielding only three of his projected starters for the regular season.

On a positive note, San Francisco’s defense is awfully deep, particularly up front with the defensive line rotation. And despite missing some key members of the defensive backfield, the 49ers secondary managed to show up with some impact plays, too, ultimately holding Minnesota to just 195 total yards.

Again, all this is little more than fodder for Shanahan to comprise the eventual 53-man roster for Week 1, yet he’ll likely face some tougher challenges after this contest.

Perhaps some easy ones, too, so let’s break that all down with the studs and duds from the Niners’ preseason victory on Saturday night.

49ers stud: EDGE Drake Jackson

San Francisco is giving its top pick from the 2022 NFL Draft, former USC EDGE Drake Jackson, plenty of field time over these first two exhibition weeks. And after suffering a shoulder stinger during the 49ers’ preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers a week ago, the No. 61 overall pick certainly made his presence known against the Vikings.

Jackson was once again a pocket-collapsing force, using his athleticism to regularly overpower Minnesota’s second- and third-string offensive line.

On the Niners’ first interception of the game, recorded by safety George Odum, Jackson was responsible for bringing the pressure that forced Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond to toss the pick:

https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1561130637813334016

Later on in the game, and for the second week in a row, Jackson deflected a pass right off the hand of the Minnesota quarterback.

What’s extra special about Jackson’s efforts these first two weeks is the fact he’s not even close to being San Francisco’s best pass-rusher, that honor going to Pro Bowler Nick Bosa, yet a Bosa-Jackson tandem could be an awfully exciting one for years to come.