Observations from Day 2 of 49ers OTAs

The 49ers held their second practice of OTAs Tuesday afternoon. This will be the only session of three this week to be open to the media. Here is what stood out.

Players not participating

Deebo Samuel, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Alex Mack were not expected to be on hand. 

In addition to those three, the following players were not on the field today: George Kittle, Javon Kinlaw, Mike McGlinchey, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Azeez Al-Shaair, Demetrius Flannagan-Fowles, Kyle Juszczyk, Daniel Brunskill, Ambrey Thomas, Elijah Mitchell, Trent Williams. 

Kyle Shanahan said he expects to have Deebo Samuel in attendance for San Francisco’s mandatory minicamp in June.  

Trey Lance 

The second-year quarterback is expected to take over the reins of the San Francisco offense. 

Lance looked confident throughout practice and showed off a more compact throwing motion, completing 16 of 20 attempts on the day.  

After going underneath to running backs and tight ends on his first five throws of seven on seven, Lance drilled a nice throw over the middle to Ross Dwelley.

In a short team session near the end of practice, Lance hit new 49ers receiver Ray-Ray McCloud off play-action on a dig route across the middle of the field. 

Lance did an excellent job of working the middle of the field throughout practice and drew the praise of safety Jimmie Ward for his ability to fit the ball into a tight window against his coverage.

Throw of the day 

The throw of the day award goes to Nate Sudfeld.  

San Francisco raised a few eyebrows by giving Sudfeld $2 million to back up Trey Lance in 2022.  

Sudfeld saw new safety George Odum bite on an underneath route and delivered a strike on a deep post to Malik Turner for a 55-yard touchdown. Turner beat Ka’dar Hollman on the route. 

Run of the day

The run of the day award goes to undrafted free agent Jordan Mason.

Contact was limited during this session, meaning most of the action for running backs was limited to running routes. 

However, they went into a brief 11-on-11 team period. Trey Sermon had a few excellent cuts, but it was Mason who impressed most when he burst through the line of scrimmage and outran everyone for a 55-yard touchdown. 

Kemoko Turay

San Francisco added former Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman Kemoko Turay late in free agency.  

Turay blew past right tackle Jaylon Moore during the brief team period and had a clear shot on Nate Sudfeld. If this were a game, Sudfeld would have been on his back instead of completing a pass to Brandon Aiyuk.

Tight ends standout

Although George Kittle did not participate, the 49ers tight ends got a lot of work, finishing with nine receptions on the day. Ross Dwelley led the way with four catches. 

Depth Chart 

With no Trent Williams, Alex Mack, Daniel Brunskill, or Mike McGlinchey, the first offensive line group saw Colton McKivitz at left tackle, Aaron Banks at left guard, Jake Brendel at center, Jaylon Moore at right guard, and Justin Skule at right tackle.

Draft picks Spencer Burford and Nick Zakelj worked at guard with the second unit, while undrafted free agent rookies Dohnovan West and Jason Poe worked with the third group.  

In the secondary, Talanoa Hufanga lined up at safety with Jimmie Ward. On the outside, it was Emmanuel Moseley and free-agent acquisition Charvarius Ward at cornerback. 

Charvarius Ward did a solid job in man coverage against both Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings.  

Darqueze Dennard was the first man up in the slot, replacing K’Waun Williams, who signed with Denver in free agency. In addition to Dennard, Qwuantrezz Knight, Samuel Womack, and Deommoder Lenoir took snaps inside.  

Knight, signed as an undrafted free agent, came away with the only turnover of the day when he intercepted fellow rookie Brock Purdy on the final play of practice. 

Purdy tried to fit the ball underneath to Tyrion Davis-Price, but the ball was tipped by a linebacker, and Knight found himself in the right place at the right time to record the takeaway. 

Injury updates

According to Kyle Shanahan, Javon Kinlaw and Mike McGlinchey continue to make strides in returning from injury. Both were on hand, with McGlinchey encouraging his fellow offensive linemen during their drills. 

Azeez Al-Shaair is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and is expected to be ready for training camp. 

San Francisco re-signed Jason Verrett recently. The veteran cornerback tore his ACL in week one against Detroit and is working on getting back on the field, and he is not expected to participate in team activities until training camp.