SANTA CLARA — The 49ers just finished the second and final day of mandatory minicamp. Here’s who stood out.
THE GOOD
1. Quarterback Brock Purdy. He is the best player on the field and the leader of the team every day. This new one. Last year, Purdy didn’t even participate in minicamp: he was still recovering from elbow surgery. The quarterbacks were Trey Lance and Sam Darnold, meaning the team’s leaders were not quarterbacks. Whatever veteran star was on the practice field that day. Usually Christian McCaffrey. This year, nearly all of the veteran stars are watching practice as Purdy takes full control of the team, which is exactly what he needs to do. He also plays with more confidence than any 49ers quarterback he’s seen in practice. Today, he completed a no-look side-arm check pass to Jordan Mason. That was a pass that Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance or Colin Kaepernick would never have attempted. Purdy does his job really well, even better than Kyle Shanahan.
2. Quarterback Brandon Allen. He completed all of his passes today except for one, which Ronnie Bell dropped. Which means Allen should have been perfect. He even completed a pass as he turned to his left, something he hadn’t seen him do before. Additionally, he took all of the second team’s reps for the second day in a row. He does not. The No. 2 quarterback job appears to be his and he could lose it.
3. CB Isaac Yiadom. He started at left cornerback while Charvarius Ward sat out with a strained core muscle and broke up a pass intended for Jauan Jennings. Yiadom is clearly better than Ambry Thomas, Samuel Womack, Darrell Luter Jr. and the other 49ers outside cornerbacks not named Ward or Deommodore Lenoir.
4. TE Brayden Willis. He caught a 15-yard pass from Brock Purdy while running a deep crossing route during 7-on-7 drills. I’m not sure if Willis can block, but he appears to be the most dynamic receiver of all the team’s tight ends not named George Kittle.
5. RB Jordan Mason. Taking the majority of the snaps at running back and catching three check-down passes from Brock Purdy, Mason has improved dramatically as a receiver since last year, while Elijah Mitchell is still not a receiving threat. It looks like Mason has finally passed him on the depth chart.
THE NOT SO GOOD
1. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs. He completed just one of four passes today and took down Terique Owens, who was open running deep down the left wing. Dobbs is smart and athletic, but he’s clearly the least accurate quarterback on the team, and that means he might not make it. The 49ers value accuracy above all other quarterback traits.
2. WR Ronnie Bell. He dropped a perfectly thrown pass over the middle to Brandon Allen. Bell is tough, moves well and gets open, but every time he has a chance to catch a ball, he seems to throw it on the ground. He is leaving the team playing.
3. CB Darrell Luter Jr. He was easily defeated by Terique Owens, who ran a simple route down the left wing. Luter Jr. attempted to block him at the line of scrimmage, but failed and frantically chased Owens down the field. Fortunately for Luter Jr., Dobbs’ pass was deflected. Still, Luter Jr. seems like a liability in man-to-man coverage.
4. CB Samuel Womack. I still can’t cover anyone.
5. WR Ricky Pearsall. He was targeted twice and did not catch either pass. Pearsall is a solid complementary receiver who runs good routes, but he’s not dominant like Brandon Aiyuk, who stood out as a rookie during minicamp.
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