There was a semblance of high-level football on display Saturday in Las Vegas, as the 49ers’ first team (down a good number of first-team players) took the field for the first time this season for a series (or two) against the Raiders.
And here, dear reader, I have to ask: Have you ever wanted a thousand words about preseason football?
Because if you do, I am ready to deliver with my studs, duds, and a special category of player from this contest:
💪 STUDS
Brock Purdy – QB
» Down the team’s top three wide receivers? Patchwork offensive line? Backup to backup running backs?
No problem.
Purdy was in control and in rhythm in his preseason debut on Saturday, injecting a serious dose of confidence into a team that has had little to celebrate this preseason. The $265 Million Dollar Man looked like he was ready for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, completing his first five passes while making plays with his feet on his only dive of the game.
Ricky Pearsall – WR
» He’s going to start the season as the Niners’ No. 1 receiver, despite being their fourth option in an ideal world where Brandon Aiyuk, DeMarcus Robinson, and Jauan Jennings are all available and in form in Week 1.
But Pearsall’s practice dominance translated onto the field against the Raiders on Saturday.
It’s clear that with a bit of practice (he missed most of training camp last year with injury and then returned from his gunshot wound mid-season, at the point where the Niners are barely practicing because of injuries), Pearsall has taken his game to another level. His routes are crisp and clever — his 14-yard catch to open his account, featuring a sharp stop on a dig route, was a veteran move.
He’s been the standout of training camp. He was the standout on Saturday.
Now the Niners should find a hotel room 100 miles away from any football field and keep him there until they fly to Seattle.
Isaiah Hodgins – WR
» It was hardly a standout performance, but Hodgins had a nice catch and a series of really solid blocking. When you’re someone who is fighting to make the roster and you are given an opportunity like Hodgins — possible No. 2 receiver (relatively) Jacob Cowing was held out of this game — this is how you make the most of it.
Russell Gage – WR
» Hodgins didn’t overtake Gage on the depth chart, though, as the former Falcon made an even nicer catch and delivered even better blocks. The 49ers are looking for their Chris Conley replacement — a dirty-work veteran who will always give you a good snap. Gage, finally healthy after two seasons, appears to be just that for this team.
Marques Sigle – S
» The rookie safety has been a revelation. He’s yet to truly be tested in pass coverage, but his ability to read plays, attack the ball with straight-line speed, and deliver a surprising amount of thump is exactly what separates the good from the great at the safety position. Ask Raiders linebacker Ashton Jeanty — the favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors — about that. Sigle laid a solid hit on him in the open field. He followed that “pop” play with an even better tackle on former 49er Raheem Mostert on a screen.
As it stands today, Sigle should be starting in Week 1.
Trevis Gipson – DE
» The veteran defensive end made plays for a d-line that was merely trying to get through the game uninjured. Given the current state of the roster, Gipson’s positive performance might make general manager John Lynch’s job even more difficult than it already is come cut-down day.
Spencer Burford – LT
» Perfect? No. But Burford looked far better a week after a tough contest against the Broncos. I see no reason why he shouldn’t be the Niners’ swing tackle for Week 1.
📉 DUDS
Nick Zakelj – LG
» The 49ers keep trotting him out there, hoping that today is the day he shows he’s worthy of serious snaps.
That day is yet to come.
Zakelj was pushed back again and again by a middling at best Raiders defensive line on Saturday.
It was a rough game for backup center Matt Hennessy as well. Rookie guard Connor Colby also had some truly rough snaps (as you’d expect from a rookie seventh-round pick).
I mention those other linemen only because right guard Dom Puni was rolled up on the Niners’ first field goal attempt of the game and was ruled out of the game with a knee injury. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Puni has a possible PCL (knee) injury and might miss a few weeks, but still could be ready for the Sept. 7 opener in Seattle. Nevertheless, the Niners are down their top two guards going into the final weeks of preseason. Ben Bartch missed Saturday’s game with an elbow injury. There’s no timetable for his return.
As it stands, there are no backups on the roster that anyone should have any confidence in to play starter snaps in the regular season. It leaves San Francisco in the unenviable situation of needing to run undrafted free agent Drew Moss out there for early-game snaps against the Chargers in the preseason finale.
Austen Pleasants – RT
» If he’s not going to be a good run blocker, he doesn’t have a role in the NFL. He had a poor run-blocking game on Saturday. I’m not sure Pleasants can do enough in the final weeks to make this roster as the No. 3 or No. 4 tackle. I didn’t see an injury, so him being replaced mid-drive in the third quarter seems telling, no?
⁉️ NICK MARTIN
Martin is his own category because the rookie linebacker, a third-round pick, is truly an agent of chaos.
When he can run forward and untouched, he explodes off the tape like few others in the NFL can. His second-quarter sack was a perfect example of the kind of excitement he can bring.
There were enough positive plays from Martin to be a stud in this game.
But… there were also enough negative plays from him to be the No. 1 dud.
For example, on the Raiders’ fourth drive of the game, Martin wildly missed a run-fill, followed it up with a strong one-on-one open-field tackle, and then missed an open field tackle. That came in the span of four plays.
In all, his second game as a professional was an improvement, even if there was nowhere for him to go but up after a disastrous debut.
One school of thought is that the more he plays, the better he will be. He can fly — he just needs to catch up to the speed of the NFL game.
The other school of thought is that Martin — at 5-foot-11, 220 pounds — is going to be pushed around and that his speed is the only thing that puts him on the field.
Both of these things appear to be true at this exceptionally early juncture in his career.
In fact, the truths seem to alternate by play.
At this point, I can say this definitively: Martin is the most interesting player on the Niners.
Originally Published: