{"id":5757,"date":"2026-07-29T11:38:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T11:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5757"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:38:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T11:38:40","slug":"five-49ers-casting-a-positive-first-impression-at-training-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5757","title":{"rendered":"Five 49ers casting a positive first impression at training camp"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANTA CLARA \u2013 First impressions can be deceiving at training camp, especially since the 49ers won\u2019t be in full pads with live contact until Friday.<\/p>\n

Read more Opinion: Democrats, watch your language. Please!<\/a><\/p>\n

All appears orderly and smooth even as coach Kyle Shanahan watches from afar because of his July 14 car-crash injuries.<\/p>\n

The 49ers are two practices into camp. Tuesday marked a new closed-door, \u201cjog-thru: session intended to ease ever-present health issues. Six weeks remain to get those body clocks ready for kickoff in Melbourne, Australia.<\/p>\n

More injuries will occur. Back-to-school vibes will fade. Highlights will blend with lowlights.<\/p>\n

Yet here is instant analysis of five campers on the come, with linemen exempt until their full-armor battle royales:<\/p>\n

Running back Kaelon Black<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of all positions to be cautious about before pads come on, it\u2019s running back, especially a rookie. Then you see this 5-foot-10 firecracker speed past the line of scrimmage. Whoa! He even sought out a defender for contact on his first carry Monday.<\/p>\n

Once Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw slam into him, and once Black can demonstrate trusted pass blocking and pass catching, then the RB2 job is his behind Christian McCaffrey, who\u2019s still getting the most work even after last season\u2019s NFL-high 413-touch showcase.<\/p>\n

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Wide receiver De\u2019Zhaun Stribling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunday, Stribling capped practice by nimbly catching a low pass against tight coverage. Monday, he deftly reached for an early reception down the sideline. Hooray, he did his job. One-on-one drills are still to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving Stribling with his speed, but also his strength, that\u2019s something that you need at receiver, and he\u2019s shown that the first couple days here,\u201d quarterback Brock Purdy said. \u201cSo I\u2019m excited to keep building with him and I know he\u2019s going to continue to do it over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Wide receiver Mike Evans<\/strong><\/p>\n

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An 11-time, 1,000-yard receiver needs no token compliments or hypercritical analysis. His impressive presence, however, does not go unnoticed, especially with offensive spirit animal George Kittle rehabilitating on the side.<\/p>\n

Evans, who has a history of hamstring issues, participated in back-to-back practices, after first getting to know Purdy\u2019s passes in spring OTAs and some summertime sessions. \u201cI grew up watching him and stuff, and to now be able to throw to him and be on the same team and compete together, for sure, I pinch myself and I\u2019m like, \u2018This is surreal for me,’\u201d Purdy said.<\/p>\n

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s downright surreal seeing No. 57 back alongside No. 54. Then it\u2019s both poetic and medieval to see Greenlaw slam into a pile to try stripping a ball free.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got our bully back,\u201d cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said. \u201cI was mad when he left (last year to play for the Denver Broncos) because I know the intensity he plays with. He\u2019s going to go 110% every game, every practice.\u201d Stay healthy, Dre.<\/p>\n

Cornerback Renardo Green<\/strong><\/p>\n

His stock is climbing back up after tailing off last season amid no takeaways and one public chastising by Shanahan in the playoff loss at Seattle. Said Lenoir: \u201cHe\u2019s more confident in his craft, just being able to come in Year 3 and actually have the confidence to backpedal against a Hall of Fame receiver (Evans) and just being poised.\u201d<\/p>\n

A year ago in camp, Green made a tremendous pass breakup downfield, reminiscent of the 13 he had as a 2024 rookie starter. But he hurt his hamstring that play \u2014 a harbinger of his sophomore slump. Now Green must hold onto his job against veteran Jack Jones in a race to see who makes the most plays.<\/p>\n

The only interceptions thus far have come from safeties Ji\u2019Ayir Brown and Marques Sigle; linebacker Jalen Graham; and one cornerback, Eli Apple.<\/p>\n

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Two practices into 49ers training camp and a handful of players are making positive impressions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nFive 49ers casting a positive first impression at training camp - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5757\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Five 49ers casting a positive first impression at training camp - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Two practices into 49ers training camp and a handful of players are making positive impressions.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5757\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-29T11:38:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5757#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5757\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Five 49ers casting a positive first impression at training camp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-29T11:38:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5757\"},\"wordCount\":654,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5757#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/47e67342f587766377ace84ba52be78d-scaled.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5757#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5757\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5757\",\"name\":\"Five 49ers casting a positive first impression at training camp - 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