Jaden Dugger stands out in encouraging 49ers rookie report after Week 1

The San Francisco 49ers have finally begun their regular season! The trip to Melbourne now seems worth it as they've shelved their first win in the books against the collective Super Bowl favorites, the Los Angeles Rams. The Niners boast several talented rookies on their depth chart, which makes it worthwhile to take a closer look at their debut performance.

The 49ers performed a plethora of trades during the draft that resulted in several names they eventually rostered for their matchup against the Rams in Week 1.

The most prominent among them is De'Zhaun Stribling.

De'Zhaun Stribling’s injury overshadows an otherwise encouraging rookie showing

Stribling left the game in the first quarter, and for a brief time he was listed as questionable. He returned to the game in the second quarter, only for a non-contact injury to result in him being carted off the field.

Coach Shanahan said post-game that his timeline wasn't known yet, but that his Achilles tendon was fine.

As of now, the timeline seems shaky, but they should be giving a public update in the days to come.

"They checked his Achilles. They said that was intact, but they're not sure of the magnitude of the ankle injury."

Kyle Shanahan

Kaelon Black leads an encouraging showing from the rest of the rookie class

Kaelon Black is a third-round running back out of Indiana, and he's listed as the No. 2 back behind the infamous Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey exited the game early due to some cramps, but later returned to the game, but those missed snaps enabled an opportunity for Black.

Whether it was Shanahan's intention to use Black as much as he did is up for debate, but there's no question that the rookie stepped up. He made an immediate impact with 14 carries and 65 yards, giving him an average of 4.6 yards per carry.

Not too bad for his debut.

Jaden Dugger impresses out of remaining 49ers rookies

Jaden Dugger also made his first appearance on an NFL starting roster, recording 34 snaps on defense, with an additional 12 on special teams. He contributed with four combined tackles, one of which was solo. Fred Warner and Dugger combined to stop Kyren Williams at the 1-yard line late in the third quarter. It was a critical stop that eventually led to the Rams turning the ball over practically on the goal line.

Offensive lineman Carver Willis was active on the roster for the day, but only recorded six snaps on special teams.

Romello Height and Gracen Halton both recorded around 50 percent of snaps on the day, though neither of them recorded an official tackle. Just because they didn't make the big play doesn't mean that they didn't contribute, though. Defenders can often get overlooked when their stats aren't super impressive, but frequently defensive input can often go unseen. They're both names to watch as the season develops.

Defensive lineman James Thompson Jr recorded 21 snaps on the day and participated in two separate stops on Kyren Williams. As an undrafted rookie on the roster, he's a particular player to pay attention to as the 49ers carry on from Melbourne.

The Niners topped the fearsome Rams while at a neutral site, and several rookies helped them along the way. It's very unfortunate that Stribling went down, and 49ers fans are surely at the edge of their seats for new information. Stribling’s injury created immediate concern, but the performances around him offered plenty of reason to believe San Francisco’s rookie class can make a difference this season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow