The Good and the Not So Good from Day 15 of 49ers Training Camp

Analyzing the best and worst performances from Day 15 of San Francisco 49ers training camp.

SANTA CLARA -- Here's who stood out on Day 15 of 49ers training camp.

THE GOOD

1. Safety Jimmie Ward.

Broke up a deep pass intended for George Kittle while covering him man to man. Which means Ward turned his head, found the ball and knocked it down. No safety in the NFL covers tight ends better than Ward. Technically, he's a strong safety when he covers the tight end. And he'll have more opportunities to play strong safety while Jaquiski Tartt is out.

2. Safety Talanoa Hufanga.

Broke up a deep pass intended for Jauan Jennings while covering the deep middle of the field. Hufanga read the throw early and covered lots of ground. He's a better free safety than I thought he'd be.

3. Defensive end Arik Armstead.

Shut down all the runs that came his direction, plus he beat Mike McGlinchey for a sack. Basically owned McGlinchey all day.

4. Linebacker Fred Warner.

Intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo for the third time in 15 camp practices. Warner is the best player on the team. He might win Defensive Player of the Year this season.

5. Linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

Made a diving stop in the flat to limit Wayne Gallman to no gain. Kendricks has a chance to make the roster even though he got signed just a few days ago.

6. Running back Wayne Gallman.

Sprinted through the second-string defense for a 25-yard run after taking a handoff from Trey Lance. Gallman is a natural runner from shotgun formations, because he played with Deshaun Watson at Clemson. Which means Gallman is a good fit with Lance.

7. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings.

Caught a 15-yard pass over the middle from Lance, while Richie James Jr. dropped another pass and Jalen Hurd missed another practice. Seems like Jennings will make the team over both of them.

8. Offensive tackle Alfredo Gutierrez.

Took one rep during 1-on-1 pass-rush drills, and won. He faced Jordan Willis, a quality defensive end, and stonewalled him. Great block.

THE NOT SO GOOD

1. Offensive tackle Trent Williams.

Missed practice with swelling in his knee one day after leaving practice with a knee injury. Not good, considering Williams went on I.R. with a knee injury in 2017, and has missed at least one game every season since 2014. The 49ers recently made Williams the highest-paid offensive lineman ever when they gave him a 6-year, $138 million contract this offseason. He turned 33 in July. Now the 49ers need a high-level backup tackle in case Williams misses time.

2. Offensive tackle Jaylon Moore.

Not a high-level backup tackle. Moore is a rookie fifth-round pick the 49ers drafted to play guard. Today, he replaced Williams as the first-string left tackle, and got thrown on his back by reserve defensive end Arden Key, then committed a false start a bit later. The 49ers need to find a better swing tackle. They'll have a tough time winning any games with Moore in the starting lineup.

3. Guard Daniel Brunskill.

Got beaten for a sack during 1 on 1s by defensive tackle Darrion Daniels, who probably won't make the team. Brunskill is the starting right guard, and the weak link on the offensive line. He's getting manhandled daily. The 49ers need a high-level backup guard in case Brunskill gets benched.

4. Guard Colton McKivitz.

Not a high-level backup guard. Today, McKivitiz got beaten for a sack during 1 on 1s by reserve defensive tackle Maurice Hurst. McKivitz was a fifth-round pick last season, and he has not improved. The 49ers have done a terrible job of drafting and developing offensive linemen.

5. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley.

Missed practice with a hamstring injury. Not good. Moseley is so much better than the best backup cornerback on the roster.

6. Cornerback Dontae Johnson.

The best backup cornerback on the roster. Which means the 49ers have no depth at cornerback, because Johnson is can't cover anyone. The 49ers need to add another cornerback. They'll struggle to win with Johnson in the starting lineup.


Published
Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.