Practice Notes

From 8/14, thank user Bone for these:

I’ve been able to catch the last half of most of the morning session of practice and here are a couple of notes that I’ve noticed the last week and a half and how I see each position panning out.

• Most noticeable difference from a practice stand point is that this year is much more physical.   I can’t remember the last time where they were going live tackling each and every day, usually about 10-20 live plays a day, which is still a major increase compared to last year.
• The Defense overmatched the offense the first week.  No running lanes for the running backs, little to no time for the quarterbacks to throw, breaking up passes in the secondary.
• Offense finally settled on an offensive line after trying out different combinations the first week.  They have started to gel with the combination of Gavin Andrews at LT, Weinreich at LG, Mitchell at C,  Harlow at RG, and Stanton at RT.
• Only a two true freshman are receiving meaning reps are Xavier Hawkins are receiver and Daryl Williams at corner.  Both have received a much higher number of reps due to players above them on the depth chart sitting out, and have taken advantage of them by playing well.  I don’t see either of them redshirting.  The rest of the class I see all redshirting.
• Practice usually ends around 12:30 for the older player.  The younger players then get to do a lot of the drill that they don’t usually get earlier in the practice.
• Noting too major on the injury front (knock on wood) just pretty standard camp injures.  Isaac has been out of his boot since yesterday, Hunt is slowly working his way back into practice. Boldin and DJ have been held the longest, Those two along with Isaac I can see being held out of Portland St.

Some offensive positional notes

Quarterbacks

• Mannion is looking really sharp, even with the young receiving group; he continues to make all the throws.  Today is the first day that I have seen him throw an interception.  He is also showing a little more athleticism in the pocket and a little more willing to take off when there is a chance.
• Del Rio takes most of the second team reps, he shows some flashes, but throws quite a few interceptions.  Vanderveen also getting reps, looks a little more comfortable finally throwing the ball down field.  Still unsure of who will end up getting the backup job, my guess is Del Rio.
• McMaryion, Mitchell, and Kempt all receiver little to no reps.  I don’t see Kempt staying past this season.

Running Backs

• Ward and Woods are both splitting first team reps, both playing well and have looked better as the offensive line has improved.  My prediction is that we see split carries between the two, with Ward carrying slightly a heavier load.
• Chris Brown has looked pretty pedestrian compared to Woods and Ward, not to say he is looking bad, but he is not at the same level as Ward or Woods.  Haskins is the most intriguing runner to me; he is built like a tank and moves fairly well, and after missing camp early he has made a few plays, showing off his speed and power.
• I haven’t seen much of Nall, I don’t see him getting much time at running back, but apparently kick returner is an option for him, if he ends up not red shirting.

Wide Receivers

• This might be the most fun group to watch in practice because it seems like there are a different group every day.  A lot of receivers missing practice due to injury, so there are a ton of reps for all the players.  There are also a lot of different types of receivers each with different strengths.
• Xavier Hawkins has easily gotten the most first team reps out of any receiver, because he has stayed healthy.  He has gotten better each day and impresses me more and more. I like him more than Boldin, but during the first week Brennen said that Boldin was playing the best out of all the receivers.
• Mullaney had a slow start to camp but looked really good today.  Villiman is a big receiver who has been really consistent I see him getting a lot of playing time.  Jarmon was making moves up the depth chart and looking good until he was held out of practice yesterday.  I don’t see anything really special out of Gilmore so far.
• This is a very young group that could be a lot of fun to watch grow together.

Tight Ends

• Hamlett and Smith are both playing at high levels, both look good catching the ball.  Smith’s body has changed since his freshman year when he was a big kid to now where he has a man’s body.  If he can eliminate some of the air-headed plays, he could have a really nice season.
• Cute and Wark are solid backups.

Offensive Line

• During the first week, the offensive line was a disaster. During team sessions, there was no running room, sacks nearly every play.  But much improved this week.
• Weinreich moved from tackle to guard after losing some athleticism.  That moved helped with the o-lines improvement.  Also moving Stanton to RT and Andrew to LT.
• Stanton no longer looks like a tight end, put on some good weight over the summer.
• This group still needs Isaac back healthy as soon as possible.