49ers’ Richie James has breakthrough game vs. Packers amid pressure to produce

The NFL's offseason program was scheduled to begin on Monday. Players from several teams came together and opted out of the voluntary portions of Phase 1, deciding to forgo in-person workouts due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco 49ers players had not yet made a similar statement. The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) has been pushing for an alteration to the offseason schedule, hoping for no in-person activities until training camp in July, as was the case last offseason. However, the NFL has been pushing for in-person activities to begin after just two weeks of virtual sessions. On Wednesday, the league announced a restructure to the offseason programs. Now, there will be no on-field work until May 17. That will be restricted to no-contact drills,

While the rest of the media believes that the New York Jets drafting quarterback Zach Wilson of BYU to be a near-certainty, Seth Galina of Pro Football Focus doesn't sound too convinced of that. The analyst feels there may be a smokescreen in play, masking New York's true target—Justin Fields of Ohio State. Galina took a look at the NFC West and created a mock draft for the entire division. In it, he has the Jets taking Fields, and Wilson falling to the No. 3 spot, where San Francisco pounces. "There is a very real chance that we have been fed and will continue to be fed the proverbial

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper expanded his latest mock draft to two rounds, and it features the San Francisco 49ers adding prospects on both sides of the football. The team traded from No. 12 overall to the No. 3 slot on March 26. The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to select Trevor Lawrence with the top selection, and the New York Jets are projected to add Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall. That's exactly what Kiper has the two teams doing within his mock draft, leaving San Francisco with its choice of quarterbacks in Mac Jones, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance. Kiper has the

It's time for ESPN's annual joint mock draft by analysts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay (h/t to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports). The two take turns projecting the selections for each NFL team through the first three rounds. While most "experts," including McShay, are still predicting Mac Jones of Alabama to head to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 3 overall, Kiper ended up making