The 49ers had their penultimate practice before their preseason opener Friday vs. the Green Bay Packers.
It was a session they badly needed with quarterback Trey Lance drawing headlines for all the right reasons.
Let’s take a look at some of the reports from Day 11 of camp and what they mean:
Today was a good Trey
Lance was not good in Sunday’s practice. Anyone ready to slam the panic button on the second-year signal caller was given reason to pause Tuesday when he had what was widely considered his best practice of the offseason. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner had him at 12-for-17 with what might’ve been a 65-yard rushing touchdown. Bay Area News Group’s Cam Inman charted Lance at 14-19, and Matt Barrows of the Athletic had him at 13-18. Regardless of the unofficial numbers, the key point is that he was efficient and didn’t turn the ball over. Hitting easy throws is the biggest key for Lance and the 49ers offense this year. He did that Tuesday and it led to his best day of camp. That’s a big step forward, now he needs to start stacking good days like Tuesday.
Starting OL makes a difference
Lance’s big day might’ve happened because he had a chance to play behind his starting offensive line. It’s been musical chairs for San Francisco up front throughout camp, so Lance probably enjoyed getting some clean pockets to throw from. While it’s a plus that he succeeded with good blocking up front, that’s not always going to be there. He’ll need to continue finding ways to complete throws and make plays when the protection breaks down. That’s where he athleticism and strong arm can become a real asset.
Jeff wakin' em up
While third-round picks Trey Sermon and Tyrion Davis-Price garnered a lot of the offseason attention, it’s Jeff Wilson Jr. who’s putting together the best case to share work with Elijah Mitchell. Last year coming off a torn meniscus Wilson was relatively unused when Mitchell was healthy. That could change this year with Wagoner noting some additional wiggle added to Wilson’s game that’s allowed him to be more elusive in the open field. Mitchell is the clear cut No. 1 back for the 49ers, but their depth at that spot is strong and Wilson’s good showing in camp is a great sign for San Francisco in a year they figure to run the ball a lot.
Drake Jackson on the move
Barrows wrote that the rookie second-round pick has moved around the defensive line. That’s not just switching edges from left to right. He’s also lining up on the interior. That’s something the 49ers and defensive line coach Kris Kocurek have done a lot of over the last few years. They find bigger edge players who can line up inside and use their athleticism to cause havoc in the middle. This may be something the 49ers gradually ease him into though since he’s so inexperienced on the inside. Having him there gives them an opportunity to get at least three edge players on the field at once in passing situations though, and that can be a nightmare for opposing offensive lines.
Emmanuel Moseley absent
Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was absent from practice again with a hamstring strain per the SF Chronicle’s Eric Branch. It doesn’t sound like a serious injury, but the 49ers may wind up shutting Moseley down for a couple weeks. That’s not something they want to deal with at this point in camp. They surely don’t want to dip into their improved CB depth right away given how well the secondary has played in camp. For Moseley it may just be about getting healthy for Week 1 at this point.
