We're now two days into training camp and not a whole has changed from the first day. Tight end Vernon Davis is still there, right guard Alex Boone is still absent and the reports from camp are numerous. Make sure you're caught up on all the storylines from Day 1 with Fooch's recap of the recaps, which is something I'll now attempt to do for Friday.
First, I was unable to get a post together on this earlier, but it's worth noting the 49ers elevated wide receiver Bruce Ellington from the non-football injury list to the active roster. In addition to this move, they signed TE/LS Kyle Nelson to a one-year contract. It's always good to see Ellington come back, as there's quite a few of us who are excited about what he brings to the table.
For now, Nelson holds Alex Boone's spot on the roster. If and when Boone comes back, I imagine Nelson will be the first to go. But let's get to what actually went down at training camp ... (there's not as much as yesterday, it seemed to be a quick session and the beat writers saved most of their impressions for their roundups).
Injury News
The most significant piece of news is the fact that running back Kendall Hunter sustained a right knee injury during 7-on-7 drills. Hunter was looked at by the trainers after going down trying to catch a swing pass from backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert. It was a non-contact injury.
Fooch's Update: The injury occurred after Hunter caught the pass, and was trying to make a move on Perrish Cox.
Hunter walked off the field to the locker room under his own power. He did not limp, but according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, Hunter "looked upset" as he walked off with head trainer Jeff Ferguson. Hunter tore his Achilles in 2012 and missed the final two months of that season with said injury. He played in every game last season, however.
It's unclear if the injury is serious at this point. Hunter is the primary backup to Frank Gore and is still battling for carries, a potential starting gig in the future, and is trying to fend off both Carlos Hyde and Marcus Lattimore. I suppose LaMichael James belongs in that discussion as well.
As was the case on Thursday, defensive tackle Justin Smith (who NBC Bay Area reported is at full strength at this point), right tackle Anthony Davis and nose tackle Ian Williams all worked with trainers on the side field and did not participate in 7-on-7 drills.
Ellington, who was activated from the NFI list, this not participate in practice on Friday. I imagine we'll see him soon. Marcus Lattimore worked on a side field, and according to Maiocco, "looks to be close to being cleared to practice."
Competitions
We didn't get a whole lot of information about the competitions today (there wouldn't be much to say on the second day of training camp). But it's worth noting that Daniel Kilgore took all of the first-team snaps at center, while rookie Marcus Martin is on the NFI list with an ankle injury. Kilgore received an extension this offseason and seeing him end up the Week 1 starter wouldn't be the most surprising thing in the world.
Also, all reports suggest Frank Gore is taking just as many snaps as you'd expect from a guy who doesn't want to give up his job. In today's Golden Nuggets, I linked multiple articles about Gore and his reluctance to give up the football. He'll fight the rest of the guys tooth and nail, and be a great mentor to them all the same. He'll do that until the day he retires, and it sounds like he was plenty active on Friday.
Then of course you have the battle for the No. 3 tight end spot. Derek Carrier and Garrett Celek are battling for that honor, with most thinking Celek would win it solely for his blocking. Unfortunately, Celek is currently on the physically unable to perform list with a back injury, so Carrier is getting snaps as the third tight end. On Friday, he impressed with multiple beat writers mentioning his name.
Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area says Carrier showed off his athleticism with a leaping catch down the field on a deep pass from Colin Kaepernick. Athleticism is the key there, as Carrier would seem to have a whole lot more upside and athletic talent than Celek, who will be a blocker and nothing else. I suppose it will ultimately come down to whether or not Carrier has learned how to block, but if he can remain flashy in the passing game, who knows?
Who looked good -- or not good?
There's Carrier, of course. That pass from Carrier made multiple beat writers talk about him, and teammate Eric Reid was also complimentary, as you'll see in the Maiocco piece linked above. Beyond Carrier, there wasn't a whole lot about who did or did not look good.
Unlike the first day, we didn't hear much about Jimmie Ward, the rookie first-round pick. His name was mentioned as he was the guy closing in on Carrier when he made his big catch, but it's unclear if he was the one who got beat on that play.
Colin Kaepernick apparently struggled during an accuracy competition between quarterbacks, completing just one of five attempts hitting targets on a net that hung from a goal post. Blaine Gabbert hit two of six, Kory Faulkner hit just one of them, and McLeod Bethel-Thompson hit three. But it was Josh Johnson who hit four of six of them, which isn't surprising because I've always liked his accuracy.
Kaepernick also only completed two of his five passes in 11-on-11 drills, with a 20-yard strike to Brandon Lloyd and a juggling catch from Michael Crabtree. Chase Thomas dropped an interception -- all of that info coming from Inman's practice report. It's worth noting that Taylor Price had Kaepernick going 12 of 18 overall with "a few dropped balls."
Other stuff I noticed from the reports, which are linked below: Quinton Dial beat Jonathan Martin pretty good to make a tackle for a loss on one play, Dontae Johnson and Kenneth Acker both looked good in coverage, and Ahmad Brooks beat Carter Bykowski -- surprise surprise. Go ahead and click through to the various reports and stop reading my hearsay, why don't ya?
Practice Reports
Maiocco
Inman
Biderman
Price (49ers)
Cohn
If you find other practice reports, please post them up in the comments.