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Who Will be the MVP of 49ers Training Camp This Year?

Last year, Brandon Aiyuk was the MVP of 49ers training camp. He practiced harder than anyone else and firmly established himself as Brock Purdy's favorite and most dependable target, a trend that carried over to the season.

Grant Cohn

Jun 5, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (1) participate in a mandatory minicamp at the team’s headquarters. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 5, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (1) participate in a mandatory minicamp at the team’s headquarters. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
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Every year, one player stands out above the rest during training camp.

Usually, that player is in a contract year and has something to prove to the organization. That's why he practices so hard every day in July and August. He wants to be seen as a franchise cornerstone.

Last year, Brandon Aiyuk was the MVP of 49ers training camp. He practiced harder than anyone else and firmly established himself as Brock Purdy's favorite and most dependable target, a trend that carried over to the season.

Aiyuk took practice so seriously last year, he started a fight with All Pro linebacker Fred Warner during one. Surely Aiyuk thought the 49ers front office would reward him with a gigantic contract extension for his effort, and maybe they will soon.

This year, I doubt Aiyuk will be the MVP of training camp. I expect he'll sit out until he signs his extension, and then he won't have anything left to prove in practice.

I'm guessing this year's training camp MVP will be Deebo Samuel. Because if Aiyuk gets his extension, Samuel might not be on the 49ers next year because they might not be able to afford him. Which means Samuel could view 2024 as a contract year for him. And the last time he was in a contract year, he was a first-team All Pro player.

While Aiyuk stayed home during OTAs and minicamp, Samuel showed up and practiced full speed. He seems more motivated than ever. And Samuel is an elite player when he's motivated.

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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.

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