Michael Wilhoite photo by Kelley L Cox of USA Today Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers open their 2014 preseason slate Thursday night in Baltimore. There has been a lot of discussion this offseason about potential changes to the 49ers offensive scheme. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman tend to hold their cards close to the vest, and because of that I wouldn't expect to see much different during week 1 of the preseason.
With that as a backdrop, here are five things to watch for tomorrow night.
1) The Offensive Line:
Winning football starts up front, and three-fifths of the starting offensive line will be different than the group that started the NFC Championship Game last January in Seattle.
Jonathan Goodwin (FA),
Alex Boone (holdout), and
Anthony Davis (injury) are not available. In their place the right side of the line has consisted of
Daniel Kilgore,
Joe Looney and
Jonathan Martin. Kilgore and Looney have a total of 0 combined regular season starts between them, while Martin struggled at left tackle during his time in Miami and needs to earn a spot on the roster.
2) The Defensive Line:
Just like with the offensive line, the defensive line will look a lot different tomorrow night. All three starters from last season will be missing.
Justin Smith and
Ray McDonald have missed almost every practice in training camp and starting nose tackle
Glenn Dorsey may have been lost for the season with a torn biceps. Expect to see a lot of 2013 draft picks
Tank Carradine and
Quinton Dial. Both have been drawing rave reviews throughout camp and will see their first extensive action in 49ers uniforms after missing almost all of last season.
3) The Battle In The Middle:
With All-Pro middle linebacker
Navarro Bowman out for at least the first half of the season the battle for his starting spot is between
Michael Wilhoite and 2014 third round draft pick
Chris Borland. Wilhoite is likely to have a slight advantage having started 2 games in place of
Patrick Willis last season, but Borland has been impressive in the early stages of camp. This may be the best position battle throughout the preseason.
4) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde:
By almost all reports second round draft pick
Carlos Hyde has been very impressive in camp. The only negatives so far have to do with the fact he is from the Big 10, did you know backs from that conference don't do well in the pros, and a rough day early on with a few dropped passes. Fortunately it appears that he has put those issues behind him. A strong performance in pass protection, combined with a few nice runs could go a long way to cementing his position as the heir apparent to Frank Gore.
5) Old McDonald Had a Farm:
But on his farm does he have more catches?
Vance McDonald, a 2013 second round draft pick, is coming off a somewhat disappointing rookie campaign that saw him haul in only 9 passes. To be fair, he was only targeted 20 times in 19 games. Reports are a bit mixed on his performance through camp so far as the coaching staff seems to be forcing the ball in his direction to get him up to speed.
With
Garrett Celek out as the result of a disc issue with his back,
Derek Carrier and undrafted free agent
Asante Cleveland are both making strong pushes to make the final roster as well.
Be sure to follow Jack on Twitter @JackHammerNFL
Add another tight end to the list of players the San Francisco 49ers have expressed interest in. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports that the team has spoken with former Kentucky tight end Brenden Bates as part of its pre-draft evaluation process.
Kentucky @UKFootball tight end Brenden Bates (6-5, 247, 4.62, 7.07 3-cone drill) working out privately #Bengals Tuesday, per a league source, interviews with Cincinnati
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reports that the San Francisco 49ers are hosting former Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace on a pre-draft visit today and tomorrow.
More Pre-Draft visits:-- #Georgia S Tykee Smith, who has been buzzing over the last few weeks, is on a visit to the #Bucs today.-- #PSU edge Chop Robinson will be at the
Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz reports that the San Francisco 49ers were among several NFL teams in attendance for former Illinois defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton's pro day workout. The defender also goes by the name "Johnny."
Illinois DT Johnny Newton, a projected 1st-round pick, just wrapped up an impressive Pro Day — showcasing elite explosion and power after a Jones fracture that he's fully healed from.I'm told the following teams were in attendance, among others:BillsCowboys49ersJets… pic.twitter.com/ggMIiIBkub—
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects today and tomorrow as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. Among the players visiting the team's facilities are former Utah safety Sione Vaki and former BYU tackle Kingsley Suamataia.
Antioch native Sione Vaki (and many others) are having their pre-draft visit with the 49ers today. pic.twitter.com/q3UoLoWD1W— Steph Sanchez (@Steph49K) April 16,