Golden Nuggets: 49ers work out two punters

Per Aaron Wilson, the 49ers worked out two punters on Thursday: Zach Von Rosenberg and Colby Wadman. Rosenberg is a 30-year old punter who signed with the Vikings back in May. This is a random fact, but the former All-SEC punter was a former top MLB pitching prospect in the Pirates organization.

Wadman, 26, was most recently with the Broncos before a stint with the Raiders. We have not received any updates about a potential injury to Mitch Wishnowsky, though something has to be up with the Niners punter, you’d assume.

Separately, Jason Verrett hasn’t practiced in two days. When defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans was asked about a potential Verrett injury, he said, “ask the head coach.”

Analyzing the Final Day of the 49ers Quarterback Competition

Completed only 13 of 22 passes (59 percent), and threw one interception. Finished training camp with 11 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions in 19 days. Not good at all. Garoppolo got outplayed by the rookie, even though the rookie was far from lights out. The 49ers can start Garoppolo Week 1 if they want, but he probably won’t hold onto the job for long.

Here’s the play by play of Garoppolo’s Thursday.

1. Threw a check down pass late in the left flat to Raheem Mostert, and almost got intercepted by Azeez Al-Shaair. Garoppolo set the tone early for what kind of practice he’d have.

2. Completed a check down pass in the left flat to Deebo Samuel and gained five yards.

3. Sailed a pass over the head of Brandon Aiyuk, who tipped the ball to Jimmie Ward, who dropped the interception.

4. Threw a deep pass to Samuel, but the pass was underthrown and got intercepted by Emmanuel Moseley. It’s like Garoppolo wanted to throw his daily interception quickly and get it out of the way.

Takeaways from training camp after 49ers’ final open practice is defense’s best

• Reclamation projects: It feels like it happened so early in camp that he’s since been forgotten about, but Mohamed Sanu is a valuable part of this roster. Depending on the situation, he is either the third or fourth receiver, along with Trent Sherfield, who might have had the best camp out of anyone. Those two guys have given a previously dire-for-depth receiving room teeth. Oh, and Dee Ford. He’s back. No one knows how long it will last, but his timing and first burst off the line of scrimmage is absolutely a problem. The 49ers are working on some very tricky things with him on some blitzes, too.
• Standouts: Besides Sherfield, Kentavius Street, both tight ends in Ross Dwelley and Charlie Woerner, Jonas Griffith, Talanoa Hufanga have all had impressive camps.

The Good and the Not So Good from the Final Day of Training Camp

5. Running back Trey Sermon.

Made a 25-yard catch up the sideline and scored a touchdown run in the red zone. Finally seems to be making an impact after a quiet offseason.

7. Cornerback Ambry Thomas.

Broke up a pass intended for Richie James Jr. during 1 on 1s, then broke up a pass intended for Samuel during 11 on 11s. Don’t write off Thomas yet. He struggled the first few weeks, but played well today.

8. Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.

Played nickelback with the second-team defense for the second day in a row and gave up no catches. Lenoir could be the 49ers nickelback of the future.

Ranking NFL’s top 10 young offensive cores: Eagles, 49ers enter the top 3 behind repeat at No. 1

2. San Francisco 49ers

The future is bright in San Francisco. Most of that future hinges on Lance’s development, but Samuel and Aiyuk are on the verge of being phenomenal themselves, thanks in large part to their capabilities after the catch. Wilson is currently injured but has proven himself as a quality backup runner, and Sermon is a big, bruising back with light feet who was born to run in Kyle Shanahan’s zone-based scheme.

Sherfield, who came over from division-rival Arizona, has looked like the vertical facet the 49ers have needed for a while, and Jennings has flashed in the preseason after an illustrious career as a YAC monster at Tennessee.

Joe Staley explains choosing media role over coaching career

“I thought I was going to be in the background forever,” Staley said on 49ers Talk. “And then I spent one season away from football and realized I really like football. Maybe I really enjoyed that thing that I spent the last 20 years of my life competing and spending every free moment of my time doing and thinking about.

“That one year was fun but I was driving my wife, my kids, myself, nuts. And I just needed to be back around the game.”

“I have a pretty good insight into the anatomy of a play — and why a certain play is successful,” Staley said. “That’s something as an offensive lineman, especially, I always wanted someone who understood and can speak to the fans about why a certain play is successful.

“Yeah, we can all see the quarterback and the running back break a big play, but why was it that way? A lot of times, it’s for the work that was done up front. Just to have an offensive line’s perspective I think will be exciting.”