Five Observations From Day 9 of 49ers Training Camp

A roughly two hour or slightly more practice session for the 49ers on their ninth day of training camp. Here are the five observations that stood out the most to me.

Jul 26, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws a pass during Day 4 of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

SANTA CLARA -- Day nine of training camp is in the books for the San Francisco 49ers.

Practice lasted roughly two hours long, maybe slightly more, with the sun beaming down intensely. But the sun's intensity paled in comparison to how intense the 49ers were during today's session. Here are my five observations from day nine of 49ers training camp.

Brock Purdy's deep ball was excellent

Easily the play of the day for the 49ers was when Brock Purdy found Deebo Samuel streaking down the left sideline. Deommodore Lenoir was the cornerback in coverage and he had excellent spacing on Samuel. Initially it looked as if Lenoir had a chance at the ball or created a tight enough window for Purdy to struggle to hit Samuel.

That didn't matter. Purdy threw a beautiful ball to Samuel and left everyone watching amazed. He followed that up with another sweet strike to Chris Conley who was running a post route towards the left sideline from the right side of the line of scrimmage. Purdy was clearly taking some chances today and it paid off. It was a joy to watch how crips those deep throws were.

Interceptions returned for Purdy

I know, I know. Hearing about interceptions in training camp from Purdy isn't the greatest, but it has to be told with context to keep it level. He threw two today, which is a fine number to have, especially since he was taking some chances. But the first one wasn't his fault at all. Purdy threw to Ricky Pearsall who was running a crosser from the left side of the field, but it hit his hands.

Pearsall failed to reel in the catch and gifted Ji'Ayir Brown the easiest interception of his life. As for the second interception, well that one was totally egregious. I believe Purdy had predetermined where he was going to throw on that pick. He attempted to hit Deebo Samuel who ran an in-breaking route from the right side. He initially looked open, but the defense was running zone with Brown lurking in the middle of the field.

Purdy didn't see Brown or had already settled on hitting Samuel anyways, thus Brown broke on the pass and intercepted it nicely. It was a sweet play from Brown, but also another gift. This time it was Purdy who made a bone-headed mistake. Aside from that, Purdy had a smooth day and wasn't bothered at all by those picks or any other negative plays.

Ricky Pearsall held out of one-on-ones

The 49ers had a quick one-on-one session between position groups. I focused on wide receivers versus cornerbacks today. Noticeably missing was Pearsall. He did not partake in this drill, which is interesting since he participates in actual scrimmage. That rules out the hamstring as an issue. There won't be an answer as to why he was held out until he or Kyle Shanahan speaks.

Right now all there is to do is theorize why he is held out for that, but can play in scrimmage perfectly fine. Is it to hide him from getting beat? Is his confidence not high? One thing I did notice from Pearsall is that his route-running has a lot to be desired. It isn't bad, but I wouldn't get excited. It'll be interesting to see if this continues for him because there is definitely something there.

Jordan Mason is the clear No. 2 running back

It only took Shanahan a year, but it looks like Jordan Mason has just about cemented himself as the No. 2 running back. He runs like a bulldozer with strong balance. There was one run play where the lanes were nonexistent, yet he still managed to push through and burst for a five-yard gain. Elijah Mitchell faced a similar situation like that and couldn't breakthrough.

Mason isn't easy to bring down, which is why he can burst through those crowds. He also showed today to be a very capable receiver. He's going to need to be for this offense given the way they use Christian McCaffrey. It was impossible to not notice Mason. He's just an absolute monster that no one should want a part of.

Josh Dobbs is not better than Brandon Allen

I was excited when the 49ers first signed Josh Dobbs to be the backup quarterback to Brock Purdy. But so far, and especially today, he's looking like the third-best quarterback on the roster. Dobbs was not good at all today. The one excellent play he made today was when he stepped up in the pocket when it collapsed to deliver a sweet throw to Danny Gray running a corner route to the left side of the field.

Aside from that, everything was wonky from him. He's either throwing balls that look like they are in slow motion, or he's completely bombing it with speed like San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell. It's weird to see. Brandon Allen wasn't amazing today either, but he looks like the better player and a safer option. Dobbs is digging himself into a hole that he will soon not be able to climb out of.