Evaluating the 49ers QBs through Week 2 of training camp

The San Francisco 49ers have completed nine training camp practices, nearly completing this portion of the offseason, as there's just one session to go: Monday. That means it's time to take a look at how each quarterback has performed, taking into account their overall body of work.

Brock Purdy has rested on three of the nine days due to his throwing program, which allowed Trey Lance and Sam Darnold to earn reps with the first-team offense, but has been the exclusive top quarterback when on the field.

How have the three top quarterbacks performed with camp nearing an end?

Brock Purdy

Brock Purdy has practiced in six of the nine training camp sessions thus far, and has seen action solely with the first-team offense when on the field.

After some early struggles with Purdy, which was to be expected, the quarterback has stacked up a few solid practices as training camp has ramped up, although there hasn't been that overwhelming day yet, which many fans are hoping for from their starter.

In fact, Purdy is showcasing much of the skillset he put on display last season: ability to process well, work well over the middle of the field, and be efficient enough in the short game, but struggle with the deep ball and further route patterns like out-routes, where the ball sometimes takes too long to get there.

I don't believe Purdy is suffering any lingering issues from his surgery; he's overthrown two deep balls early in his return, but hasn't shown consistency with the deep throws yet to feel confident that he's the guy.

It's understandable why Purdy has earned the stranglehold on the starting quarterback job; his resume, combined with the processing speed and capability to operate an efficient offense, marks for a good quarterback in this scheme, and that's been on display over the last few days after a poor start to training camp.

Purdy has bridged the gap between him and the other quarterbacks in regards to training camp performances, but you'd still like for a performance that could blow you away, and that frankly hasn't happened yet

Here are my grades for Purdy on the five days I've seen him in action:

Day 2: C-
Day 5: C
Day 6: B
Day 7: B
Day 8: B-/B

Trey Lance

Over the first six practices, Trey Lance experienced some of the highs, as well as some of the lows of training camp, making a variety of nice throws, but also showcasing some of the issues that plagued him last offseason.

It's been a similar outcome for Lance over the final stretch of practices, although the good has outweighed the bad, hence why his grades remain somewhere in the "B-" to "B+" range from Days 7-9.

Lance has certainly improved from last offseason; he's perfected the deep out, a throw he missed high and wide last season, while his mechanics look more sound, delivering a quicker ball and looking more accurate as a passer.

In fairness, Lance did not seem like a starting-level NFL quarterback as a passer during training camp last offseason, which is why it was sensible that Kyle Shanahan implemented a game plan that focused on his skills in setting up the run game, which in return, would make the passing game easier in this offense.

Still, the improvement as a pocket passer is notable, although, like Purdy, there haven't been many "wow" days to where you could be blown away by his performance this training camp.

While I had Darnold as my top quarterback through six practices, given his consistency, I'd give the slight edge to Lance after nine, based on his play, but also a mixture of Darnold's inconsistent play during the last stretch.

Here are my grades for Lance over the eight practices I've watched:

Day 1: B
Day 2: C-
Day 4: B+
Day 5: A
Day 6: B-
Day 7: B-
Day 8: B+
Day 9: B-/B

Sam Darnold

Through six practices, Sam Darnold held the moniker of being the most consistent quarterback, but that evaporated after a Day 9 performance where he waned as the session went along, leading to a 'C-/C' grade.

If solely looking at practice stats, you would see Darnold as the most efficient quarterback through nine practices at a 67.7% clip, but the numbers don't tell the full story, as Darnold has primarily targeted the short portion of the field, while taking some egregious sacks.

Darnold's primary knack is his processing; it doesn't take a long time to notice a difference in that trait between him and the other quarterbacks, who process at a fairly fast clip. That's led to some of his sacks, as well as some late reads when hitting the back end of his progressions.

Still, he's got good arm talent, and has the capability of working the short game well, which is a key in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, while possessing the strength to make some deep throws, although he's been inconsistent in that realm with his accuracy as well.

My analysis of him through the first six weeks still stands: he's the definition of average.

Here are my grades for Darnold during the five practices I've seen:

Day 1: C+
Day 2: C
Day 4: A
Day 5: B
Day 6: F
Day 7: B+
Day 8: B
Day 9: C-/C

Overall

Through nine practices, it's still a tough decision when evaluating between the quarterbacks, a telling sign of how the competition is going, and potentially even an indictment on the starter, although the later practices have evened out the three in regards to their performances.

Still, none of the options have blown me away as training camp is nearing an end, with middling performances mixed with good days.

If I were to choose, I'd lean toward Trey Lance over Sam Darnold, who was my top option slightly after six practices, but it's a coin flip.

With one practice remaining in training camp, and the questions at quarterback not really solved yet, the biggest challenge will be next week's joint practices, which could be significant in determining the depth chart.

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