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The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up their tenth day of practice, and for those of us who have been waiting for serious good news about A.J. Jenkins, we got a little something. A day after Jenkins finished practice with a 70-yard touchdown against the scout team, the reports indicate he had a strong performance most of the day on Monday.
Barrows put together his daily look at targets and receptions, and Jenkins led the way with seven receptions on nine targets in 11-on-11 drills. In describing Jenkins, Barrows said that at his best, he is "fluid, snatches the ball cleanly and then gets back up to top speed quickly."
Justin Smith sat out practice, with what Grant Cohn described as a right ring finger injury. Demarcus Dobbs filled in for him at starting right defensive end. The 49ers listed Dobbs in their initial depth chart as the primary backup to Ray McDonald on the left side, but it would seem he is the primary backup on both sides for now. Smith has missed a few days of practice over the last week, and it would not surprise me to see Smith sit out Thursday's opener.
If Smith is unable to play, I'm excited to see how the snaps are spread around the rest of the unit. We'll get to see Dobbs, Will Tukuafu, Tony Jerod-Eddie and Lawrence Okoye mix in along with Ray McDonald. Okoye is intriguing given his back story and does have a chance at a roster spot, but Dobbs, Tukuafu and Jerod-Eddie are all guys with the experience to have a serious shot at one or more spots on the 53-man roster.
Tramaine Brock continues to get snaps as the third cornerback, coming in on nickel situations. As some have mentioned, this is Brock's third year in Vic Fangio's defense, which gives him a leg up on even a guy like Nnamdi Asomugha. Given the communication needs in the secondary, this is a big boost for him. It seems pretty apparent that Brock will be the "first string" third corner on Thursday against the Broncos.
Practice Reports
49ers.com (pictures)
Matt Barrows
Chris Biderman
Grant Cohn
Christian Gin
Cam Inman
Matt Maiocco