The San Francisco 49ers had their first padded practice with a good number of fans in attendance. The opening of the practice was similar to the unpadded version and then things got more interesting as the offensive line and defensive line squared off for position drills and then 11-on-11’s got started. The defense set the tone in position drills and carried that over through out the practice.
The secondary has already sustained a few injuries which could open up opportunities for the offense, but today, the defensive line didn’t give them much of a chance to make that happen. Here are your top plays of the day:
Solomon Thomas sacks C.J. Beathard
The 49ers have wasted no time in getting the rookie involved. Thomas lined up across from Garry Gilliam and then moved inside towards Norman Price whom he dominated to get to Beathard.
Aaron Lynch sacks Beathard....twice
Lynch, who is finding himself more comfortable in the new system, found his way past Trent Brown twice during practice to get to the rookie quarterback.
Arik Armstead sacks Brian Hoyer...three times
Armstead, who is showing a new lean physique worked through position drills with a lot of aggression and it carried over to team drills. One sack was facing Brandon Fusco and the other two sacks were facing Trent Brown who appeared to have an off day.
Chanceller James intercepts Matt Barkley
There appeared to be some miscommunication on the offensive side as there were no receivers near James when this happened seven yards from the line of scrimmage in the flat. James looked a like the intended receiver.
Barkley to Jeremy Kerley
The wide receiver who led the 49ers in receptions in 2016 showed how he accomplished that by grabbing a pass thrown in very tight coverage by Adrian Colbert. It was a very accurate pass by Barkley.
Reuben Foster intercepts Nick Mullens
The first round draft pick continues to make himself known on the field by producing what would have been a pick-6. Foster looked like he was headed for the A-gap but paused. Unfortunately for Mullens, he didn’t read it correctly and threw the ball in Foster’s direction.
Mullens to Victor Bolden
Shortly after throwing an interception, Mullens had a much better play, threading the needle to Bolden who was being tightly covered by James and Will Davis.
Rashard Robinson and DeAndre Carter
It’s not really a play, but this match up has already produced a fair amount of trash talking and it reached a point today where Robinson was telling/yelling at Carter, “You’ll never be me!” Robinson’s conversations with any wide receiver will be something you’ll want to keep an eye on this season.