On Monday’s Day 5 of San Francisco 49ers training camp, the pads came on and the hitting could start. It’s football time.
“I was itching to get out there,” said fullback Kyle Juszczyk. “It felt good to hit somebody.”
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had a slightly different take.
“You know I’ll be honest, the first padded practice forever has always been the most disappointing day of the year,” Saleh said with a smile. “Not to say today wasn’t good or anything, but everyone gets hyped up for for pads. I think the guys did a good job protecting one another, came out and competed. It was a big day from a load standpoint. It was a good protective day.”
Saleh’s defense had a pretty productive day, with a few standouts.
In one-on-one pass rush drills, rookies C.J. West and Mykel Williams both impressed.
“Mykel is going to be a hell of a football player,” Saleh said.
49ers fans everywhere cheer.
Once team drills began, Nick Bosa was in midseason form, pressuring Brock Purdy much of the day, including coming up with multiple would-be sacks.
LB Dee Winters intercepted Brock Purdy after a Jason Pinnock PBU – however, that was after one of the would-be sacks, so that would have been that in a game but worth mentioning. Winters also had a big hit on RB Isaac Guerendo, while showcasing his speed ability, as he competes to start alongside Fred Warner.
The aforementioned Pinnock joins Robert Saleh for a second time, as he was drafted by the New York Jets in 2021 and released in August 2022.
“[H]e was young, second year when we when we had to cut him,” Saleh said. “But you know, he is a dad, he feels like he’s grown like 20 years…But he still has that youthful athleticism and burst. Working with him, and his intent, his demeanor, his intent when he gets in the building to get better, he’s been fantastic.”
Pinnock sees the ways he’s grown in the last several years as well.
“I was so raw,” Pinnock said. “It was pure talent and memorization, so I think now things have progressed from memorization to now pre-snap awareness, the game’s slowing down, I’m able to show my explosiveness now and my athletic ability.”
Pinnock later said he wants the league to see him as a ball hawk.
Rookie CB Upton Stout had himself a pretty solid rookie cornerback day. In a perfect world, Stout would be able to go inside, with Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir on the outside (and staying on the outside). While Green deals with a hamstring injury, the 49ers started first-team team drills with Lenoir and Tre Brown outside and Stout in the slot.
Stout made a very impressive play on a Purdy pass that was intended for WR Ricky Pearsall, running the route with Pearsall and ultimately coming up with a PBU.
“He’s a sharp kid,” Saleh said. “It’s definitely not too big for him. We’ve got to be careful as a coaching staff, you know, you’ve still got to slow play it. Regardless of how smart you feel like they are, there are still a lot of things that they’re still learning, so you just want to, we’ll push the envelope, but never too far to where he can’t execute his job.
“But that’s stuff we’re learning, trying to figure out who he is and what he’s capable of. That’s really for everybody on the defense. It’s finding out what they’re capable of and pushing the envelope to meet that line of their ability to execute to their God-given ability.”
The 49ers’ offensive highlight came early in team drills, when Purdy found TE George Kittle, who turned on the YAC for a would-be touchdown.
After leaving practice early with a calf injury yesterday, WR Jauan Jennings did not practice. DT Jordan Elliot also did not practice, while WR Jacob Cowing and Green continue to deal with hamstring injuries.
The 49ers had positive news on DE Tarron Jackson, who was carted off the practice field Sunday on a backboard. Kyle Shanahan had said after practice that Jackson was speaking and able to use his extremities. He was taken to Stanford Hospital for further evaluation and discharged Sunday night. Although he was not practice, Jackson was back in the building on Monday, which is an excellent sign.
Practice Day 6, and the second in pads, takes place on Tuesday.