49ers kick off mandatory minicamp, last practices until training camp

Everything up to this point has been optional. Participation in this week's minicamp is mandatory. Every player under contract is expected to be on hand.

Offseason attendance by San Francisco 49ers players has already been high. The only notable absence is holdout Robbie Gould, who requested a trade on April 23. That probably won't change this week as the veteran kicker continues his offseason training in the Chicago area.

Dee Ford remembers walking around the 49ers facility after being traded from the Kansas City Chiefs and noticing something he had never seen before.

"I was very impressed the day after the trade when I showed up, seeing about 20 guys working out," Ford said last week. "I've never seen that many just at the facility working out, [DeForest Buckner] being one."

That was in March, long before any practices were allowed.

The 49ers will hold two practices this week. The first is scheduled for Tuesday and the second for Wednesday. The coaching staff will give players the third day, Thursday, off from practice as it has done each of the past two offseasons.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan will speak with reporters before each practice.

Jimmy Garoppolo will continue taking part in everything minus 11-on-11 drills. He is returning from an ACL injury suffered in late-September. The coaching staff awaits the thumbs up from the training staff to throw its starting quarterback into a full practice. Everyone has been happy with his progress thus far.

"I know he can't wait until he can get under center where we've got some pass rushers and things like that but Jimmy's good to go," Shanahan said last week. "We've just got to clear one more month so the doctors can make it totally safe, and then we're ready to play."

Behind Garoppolo, there is a backup quarterback battle brewing between Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard. But that competition won't heat up until the two get into some in-game action.

"The evaluation part of it, for me specifically as a position coach, comes much later in the process, when we get into the preseason, towards the end of preseason, the third game," quarterbacks coach Shane Day said last week. "Right now, we're just kind of trying to get better every single day at everything, and both of those guys have done a really good job, in my opinion."

Tevin Coleman will continue receiving the lion's share of reps at running back this week. Neither Jerick McKinnon, Matt Breida, nor Raheem Mostert is expected to practice in full until training camp. That's a competition to keep an eye on once everyone is healthy.

The 49ers offensive line consists of the same starters from last season minus center Weston Richburg, who had surgery in January to repair knee damage he played through for most of last season. He is not expected to return until training camp but will likely be reinserted into his previous role.

Team decision-makers focused on upgrading the defense's pass rush this offseason, adding Ford and rookie Nick Bosa. The latter will continue to sit out practices until training camp after sustaining a low-grade hamstring injury as organized team activities kicked off.

That's not too concerning since the defensive line isn't really allowed to fully show off its pass rushing skills during non-contact 11-on-11 drills. As tackle Joe Staley noted during the State of the Franchise event last week, the offensive line is out there playing "patty-cake." The real competition in the trenches will start during training camp.

There is a competition for the starting job opposite Richard Sherman. Third-year cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon impressed during the three OTA practices open to the media, but he could see more vigorous competition once Jason Verrett is healthy enough to practice.

"When he's on the field, he's one of the best corners in our game," Sherman said of Verrett in May. "When he's healthy, and he's moving, he has great instincts, he has great movement, he has good ball skills. He's just a pest. He's always there. He's always close to the ball. Even when the receiver is making a catch, it's really a tough, contested catch."

Rookie Dre Greenlaw continues to see a lot of work while Kwon Alexander recovers from his own ACL injury and Fred Warner misses time after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his knee. Both Alexander and Warner are expected starters while the real linebacker competition will be at the SAM spot.

The coaching staff would probably like to see a healthy Jimmie Ward paired with Jaquiski Tartt at the two safety spots. Ward, however, has had trouble throughout his career staying healthy. He most recently fractured his collarbone and will not practice until training camp. That opens up the competition to some of the team's younger safeties, like Adrian Colbert and Tarvarius Moore.

Once the mandatory minicamp concludes, players will have about six weeks off before reporting for training camp in late-July (tentatively scheduled to begin on July 26).

Minicamp schedule for both Tuesday, June 11 and Wednesday, June 12

• 10:40 am PT practice
• Approximately 12:10 pm PT: Shanahan press conference
• Select players will be made available after Shanahan speaks