The San Francisco 49ers continued padded practices on Tuesday, which was a lighter day for the team after an extensive session Monday, although there were still 1-on-1s and team drills, as well as some redzone work incorporated into the mix.
During 1-on1's there were some true standouts, but also some disappointing performances that left more to be desired over the remainder of training camp.
Whose stock has dropped after Day 2 of padded practices for the 49ers?
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Spencer Burford
Burford makes the list for the second day in a row, which is somewhat unfortunate for the starting right guard, who's looking to trend up in his second year with the 49ers.
Burford was beaten by Alex Barrett on the lone rep I charted in 1-on-1s, while not facing much luck in team drills, allowing sacks to Barrett and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave on separate reps.
Burford's pass protection will truly determine how high his ceiling can be, and the early returns in camp have been uninspiring with pads on.
It'll be a tough challenge, given that he'll see Arik Armstead or Javon Hargrave opposite of him with the first-team offense, but he's also got to be more consistent against the backups.
Ambry Thomas
Ambry Thomas had another day to forget on Tuesday, as he allowed a catch on every target thrown his way, even with some good coverage mixed in on some of those plays.
Thomas is in an interesting situation. He's certainly getting opportunities, working alongside Deommodore Lenoir with the first-team defense on a number of reps, but struggles against top-tier receivers.
He gave up three significant catches on the day: a 10-15 yarder to Brandon Aiyuk, a 20-yard crosser to Deebo Samuel, and a 12-yard comeback to Aiyuk that he had great coverage on, but was just a great ball from Trey Lance.
Thomas is trending towards getting cut this offseason, especially if the 49ers keep just five defensive backs.
Even if the team keeps six DBs, undrafted rookie D'Shawn Jamison has been much better than Thomas during camp.
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold had an ugly performance on Tuesday, completing just 1/5 passes, with a few balls coming off the hands of defenders.
After being the most consistent quarterback through five practices of camp, Darnold delivered the worst day of any signal-caller on Tuesday, failing to find a groove, especially in the redzone.
On the other hand, Darnold will get the perfect opportunity for a bounce-back session, as Brock Purdy is not expected to throw Thursday as a part of his two-days-on, two-days-off throwing program.
Backup OTs
The 49ers have a problem at backup offensive tackle.
While Colton McKivitz has impressed me compared to expectations, every backup player at the position has not.
Jaylon Moore, Matt Pryor, and Leroy Watson haven't shown much during their reps in training camp, giving up a few sacks and showing significant inconsistencies in their 1-on-1 reps.
To make matters worse, Moore injured his leg during practice Tuesday, with a timetable for his return unknown.
I shared my belief that the 49ers needed to upgrade the swing tackle position this offseason, but San Francisco elected not to draft a single offensive tackle, while signing the underwhelming Pryor in free agency to a cheap deal.
Those decisions may come back to hurt them, especially if Trent Williams, who hasn't played a full season since 2013, has to miss any time.
- Rohan Chakravarthi
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Written by:Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
