Good Morning Faithful,
Here are the top 49ers headlines for Tuesday, August 24.
New and Notable
Trey Lance Was 'Much Better' in 49ers Second Preseason Showing
Following two joint practices and a preseason victory, the San Francisco 49ers returned to Santa Clara after their week-long road trip in Costa Mesa, Calif. Kyle Shanahan spoke with the media following Sunday afternoon's 15-10 win and provided injury updates, gave a preview of what to expect in the 49ers preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders and assessed the development of rookie quarterback Trey Lance. Here are a few takeaways:
- Between his preseason debut and Week 2 showing, Shanahan has seen improvement in the rookie quarterback. But the head coach noted that some of Lance's fundamentals were still a "work in progress."
- The 49ers plan for their healthy veterans, who have been sitting out the first two preseason games, to see snaps against the Raiders on Sunday.
- Defensive lineman Maurice Hurst and newly signed linebacker Mychal Kendricks both left Sunday's game during the 49ers first defensive series and did not return. According to Shanahan, both are expected to be out for "at least a month."
- The 49ers must trim their roster from 85 to 80 players by today's 1 p.m. deadline.
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NFL.com's Top 10 Players from the 2017 Draft Class
As the NFL's Top 100 continues, featuring the likes of Fred Warner (No. 21), Trent Williams (No. 42), George Kittle (No. 50) and Kyle Juszczyk (No. 97), NFL.com analyst Brian Baldinger provided his own ranking of the league's Top 10 players from the 2017 class heading into the 2021 regular season. Coming in at the fifth-overall spot is 49ers former fifth-round draft pick George Kittle. Here's what Baldinger had to say about the ranking:
"The lowest-drafted player -- taken 146th overall, Kittle was the ninth tight end selected -- in this list lands at No. 5. His draft standing didn't prevent him from quickly establishing himself as the league's premier blocking TE. The 49ers feared rushing attack owns that status because of Kittle's ability to man up on the edge against elite linebackers. It's a thing of beauty to watch. In addition, he's an exceptional pass catcher, having previously held the NFL record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a season (now held by Kansas City's Travis Kelce). With his size, speed and run-after-the-catch ability, it takes numerous defenders to bring this man down."
Baldinger's Top 5 Players Drafted in 2017
- Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs
- Deshaun Watson - Houston Texans
- Alvin Kamara - New Orleans Saints
- T.J. Watt - Pittsburgh Steelers
- George Kittle - San Francisco 49ers
