49ers training camp: 4 winners, 2 losers after first week

2 biggest losers from first week of 49ers training camp

QB Trey Lance

It's not quite fair to lump Trey Lance into this category, but there's a lot of merit to doing so.

For starters, and despite his own rough start to training camp, Brock Purdy is all but cemented in as the Niners' No. 1 quarterback to open the season, and that's fine. Purdy has plenty of time to shake off the rust after suffering a torn UCL last January.

However, where Lance enters the mix as a loser is merely because his sole job during camp was to wholly outpace Darnold by a wide margin. Not stay stride for stride with him, which is precisely what's going on now.

Remember, for every winner, there has to be a loser. If Darnold is winning, it ultimately means Lance is losing.

Lance has had his good days, yes. No questioning that. And he's making the team's decision on Purdy's primary backup exceptionally difficult.

However, Lance needed to make it a no-brainer. Instead, more signs are pointing to him being QB3 on the depth chart, which is quite the fall for the No. 3 overall pick from the 2021 draft.

EDGE Clelin Ferrell

It was potentially exciting to see whether or not another top-10 NFL Draft pick, edge Clelin Ferrell, could resurrect his otherwise scuffling career with San Francisco, turning into yet another one of those reclamation defensive linemen the 49ers seemingly turn out on a yearly basis.

Well, not so much.

For starters, Ferrell smacked the surgically repaired elbow of Purdy in a similar fashion to how the quarterback suffered his original injury, which isn't good.

On top of that, Ferrell's one-on-one drills and team drills have underwhelmed. In a situation where he could make up ground on the Niners' D-line depth chart sans Bosa, it doesn't appear as if Ferrell is doing what needs to be done in order to turn around his career.

It's too bad, too, as Ferrell has long had the talent but never the total surroundings to put it all together at the pro level.

So far, it doesn't appear as if much is different with San Francisco.

Read more from Niner Noise