SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Training camp is two-thirds complete.
The San Francisco 49ers’ final practice is Aug. 25, and one day after that, the team must winnow its roster to 53 players.
Who has momentum as we enter the summer home stretch? For one, the team’s rookies. Safety Marques Sigle, for instance, has started to come on after he missed the spring sessions. And second-round pick Alfred Collins, while still in catch-up mode after he, too, sat out the spring, has looked better in recent practices.
Who else has the arrow pointing up? The following are six positions where one player’s stock is clearly rising, perhaps at the expense of someone else at his position.
Running back
Up: Corey Kiner
Down: Jordan James
Though James, the fifth-round rookie, has missed practices with knee and finger injuries, Kiner, the undrafted rookie, has been one of the few 49ers on hand for all spring and summer practices. He also got an unprompted compliment from Kyle Shanahan on Monday.
“I was encouraged with some of the young guys,” Shanahan said when asked what stood out when he reviewed Saturday’s game. “I liked how Corey ran. I thought he ran hard. We’ll keep pushing him to get better as a runner, but I just loved the mentality he ran with. Those are the things that stuck out the most.”
Shanahan’s teams have a history of lower-round or undrafted players outperforming more highly touted players at their position, especially running back. That might make for an interesting decision later this month. Does San Francisco keep both rookies on the 53-man roster? If not, who’s most likely to get snagged off waivers if the team tries to get one onto the practice squad? The 49ers tried that with undrafted Cody Schrader last year, and their top rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, grabbed him.
One possible solution: Put James on an injury list to begin the season and bring him back to the active roster after four games.
Defensive tackle
Up: Sebastian Valdez
Down: Evan Anderson
Valdez is another undrafted rookie who might be difficult to sneak onto waivers given his consistent play and recent praise from Shanahan.
“I’d say he flashed the most today,” he said immediately after Saturday’s game.
If Valdez ultimately lands a roster spot, does that mean someone else must go? The 49ers also have rookies C.J. West and Collins at defensive tackle, along with veterans Jordan Elliott and Anderson. Defensive ends Mykel Williams and Yetur Gross-Matos, meanwhile, are expected to take a lot of snaps at defensive tackle during the season.
Anderson (knee) missed Saturday’s game, but he’s now back at practice and ought to get a lot of snaps in Thursday’s scrimmage with the Las Vegas Raiders and Saturday’s game in Nevada. That is, he has plenty of opportunities to turn his arrow from neutral to northward.
Interior offensive line
Up: Matt Hennessy
Down: Nick Zakelj
This is an interesting competition. The 49ers are looking for someone who can be an emergency replacement at center or guard if there’s an injury during a game. Hennessy is a better center than guard. Zakelj is a better guard than center.
Hennessy’s stock is higher at this point because he played better in Saturday’s game, and because Shanahan needs to make sure he’s got insurance at center. After all, he went through six of them during a disappointing 2020 season, and starter Jake Brendel will turn 33 next month. Meanwhile, seventh-round rookie Connor Colby has looked good recently and might end up providing depth at guard this season.
Safety
Up: Marques Sigle
Down: Ji’Ayir Brown, Richie Grant
This position has been yo-yoing since the spring, when Sigle and Brown were injured and Grant got all of the first-team snaps. Lately, however, Sigle, a fifth-rounder out of Kansas State, has been healthy, and Brown (ankle) and Grant (knee) have been in and out of the lineup.
The 49ers have been playing Sigle at strong and free safety, and he stood out with seven first-half tackles against the Denver Broncos.
“I thought he did a really nice job, especially out of the middle of the field and erasing tackles when it was just him in the back in the hole,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said Tuesday. “He’s showing that he’s got all the things that are required out of a safety from a movement standpoint, speed, instinct and violence part. So he’s earned it. And as he gets those extended reps, he’s got to find a way to cement it.”
In a year in which the 49ers are intent on injecting youth into their roster, Sigle seems like a good bet for a roster spot, if not a starting role. The question is whether there’s room at safety for three veterans — Brown, Grant and Jason Pinnock. Siran Neal, meanwhile, could be a dark horse at the position, given his special teams ability.
Nickel cornerback
Up: Chase Lucas
Down: Tre Brown
When OTAs began, Tre Brown was the 49ers’ top nickelback, and Lucas was working with the third-stringers. Now that’s reversed. Of course, the pecking order is skewed by the fact rookie Upton Stout, who seems most likely to start at nickel, is dealing with a minor calf issue. But Lucas has momentum, especially after a head-turning performance against Denver.
Still, Brown has an advantage in terms of experience and versatility, and Saleh made it clear Tuesday that to make the roster, Lucas must be more than a backup corner. That is, he must keep his momentum going.
“Now the challenge for him is to stack up days on defense, get better on special teams, find a way to be a viable corner, expand his game and find ways to earn his right on this roster,” Saleh said.
Tight end
Up: Brayden Willis
Down: Ross Dwelley, Jake Tonges
This competition is still too close to call, and it might ultimately boil down to special teams ability. Still, it’s notable Willis started Saturday’s game — he filled in for George Kittle — and played 35 snaps. He had a good block on Patrick Taylor Jr.’s first-quarter touchdown run, and he’s also been targeted a lot in the passing game in practices, especially by second-string quarterback Mac Jones.
(Photo of Corey Kiner: David Gonzales / Imagn Images)
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