Observations from day 19 of 49ers training camp

Here is what stood out during the 49ers’ nineteenth practice of training camp.

In the final full practice with local media in attendance, it was the 49ers’ defense that won the day. The run defense was stout all practice long, and while the quarterbacks both hit on a number of throws, most of them were short of the sticks.

Quarterback play:

Jimmy Garoppolo: 13-22, interception. Garoppolo struggled during the early part of practice, hitting on only one of his first five attempts, Emmanuel Moseley making a fantastic play for an interception on the fourth.

The veteran would eventually get it going, completing passes at every level of the field along the way. The best ball from Garoppolo would come with the defense sending a heavy blitz. The offensive line was able to pick it up and Garoppolo lofted a deep throw down the right sideline to Trey Sermon for a nice completion. A little later, Garoppolo would again go deep down the right sideline to Deebo Samuel, and while the receiver needed to slow down a bit, he should have been able to make the catch.

Trey Lance: 13-19. The numbers for Lance make his performance look better than it was. For example, the first two completions were both caught along the line of scrimmage and the net result was zero yards.

On this day, it was Lance who consistently threw the underneath routes. Of his 13 completions, only one of them came on a target beyond 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. On the play, Lance would throw a beautiful strike to tight end Jordan Matthews on a deep post. What made this play impressive was how Lance was able to get the ball out on time and put it right between the numbers. That completion would be the last play of the day.

Emmanuel Moseley:

Moseley continues to play at a high level during training camp. Today he would show off his speed to intercept a Jimmy Garoppolo pass.

Samuel was running a deep over route across the field from right to left and had a step on Moseley. As Garoppolo released the ball, Moseley was able to make up the distance and step in front of Samuel for the interception.

Moseley looks bigger and faster in this training camp and appears ready to have a terrific season if he can stay healthy.

Trey Sermon:

The rookie running back led all of the backs with eight carries on the day to go along with his long pass reception that was mentioned earlier.

Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel noted that he is encouraged by how Sermon has been able to make the necessary adjustments from the coaching staff to counter the increased speed of the game at the NFL level.

George Kittle:

The 2019 All-Pro was able to bring in all four of his targets during team drills and had a number of solid blocks in the running game.

The most impressive catch of the day for Kittle came during a period in which the offense was working on converting second and long. Kittle would find a soft spot in the zone defense and Garoppolo would hit him for a gain of 15 yards and a first down.

Trent Williams:

The left tackle was dominant today during one-on-one pass rush drills, winning all three of his reps by putting the defensive end on the ground. What made this even more impressive than it may sound is that he did it twice to Nick Bosa and the other was while facing Arden Key.

Ambry Thomas:

The rookie cornerback continues to make strides each day. Today Thomas was able to break up a Trey Lance pass to Deebo Samuel. Thomas showed his closing speed on this one, breaking on the curl route to knock the ball away at the last second.

Jack Hammer is a lifelong 49ers fan who shares insights on the team, and leads discussion on all football and team topics. Follow Jack on Twitter @JackHammer_NFL and subscribe to his YouTube Channel, YouTube.com/c/JackHammer49.