The San Francisco 49ers kick off phase three of the offseason workout program, which means organized team activities, or “OTAs.” The first two days of OTAs are May 22 and 23. They are followed by OTAs May 25, 30-31, June 2, 5-6, and 8-9. The 49ers then wrap up their offseason workout program with a mandatory minicamp June 13-15.
This third phase allows for 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills. Live contact is still not permitted (e.g. "live" blocking, tackling, pass rushing and bump-and-run), but this is when the team can really implement a lot of details in their offensive and defensive playbook. They’ll go back through this stuff when training camp gets going, but this is a big part of the offseason for a new coaching staff.
OTAs are voluntary, while minicamp next month is mandatory. The 49ers have reportedly had 100 percent attendance at the offseason workout program. The only player not allowed to attend OTAs is defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, while he waits for Stanford’s spring quarter to come to a close. Wide receiver Trent Taylor missed part of the offseason workout program due to Louisiana Tech’s schedule, but should be on hand.
Players will not necessarily win jobs with a strong performance in OTAs, but it is an opportunity to set themselves up with some momentum for training camp. They are still not wearing full pads, although shells can be permitted. Some players might shine a bit more in shorts and jerseys than they will when training camp gets here.
We’ll be going plenty more into position battles. For now, Brother Girth wrote this FanPost shortly after the draft breaking down the position battles as he saw them. There are some updates I’ll be making with a new look at them, but this is a solid initial look.