49ers defense wins the day; Observations from day 10 of training camp

Here is what stood out from the 49ers tenth day of training camp in Santa Clara.

On Dwight Clark Day, the 49ers opened their practice up to the fans for the final time. The practice was one of the longest of camp so far, and one of the hottest.

The offense had dominated much of the previous six days, but this was a day for the defense to shine.

Brock Purdy

Purdy’s day was a bit of a roller coaster.

The second-year quarterback opened his day with a throw away due to solid coverage down field from the 49ers secondary. On his next attempt he found Ray-Ray McCloud on a deep over route along the right sideline for a gain of 30.

Redzone work was a major focus today. Purdy’s first throw, a wheel route to Christian McCaffrey from the 20, was marked incomplete when the running back was able to get only one foot in bounds. An incompletion on a poor throw to Deebo Samuel and a screen to McCaffrey followed.

Purdy found his rhythm during the next redzone series. Working from the ten, Purdy found Jauan Jennings, Tay Martin and Willie Snead for touchdowns. The touchdowns to Jennings and Snead came against the coverage of Charvarius Ward and the Martin touchdown came against Deommodore Lenoir.

Following the special teams break the offense was right back to the redzone, this time working on moving the ball in from the 20.

Purdy opened the first possession with an 11-yard completion over the middle to Deebo Samuel. A seven-yard run by McCaffrey got the ball down to the two. From there, Purdy threw out to Danny Gray in the left flat but the wideout could not hang on. Solid coverage on third down forced Purdy to use his legs and the quarterback was able to outrun the defense to the right corner of the endzone for the score.

From that point on Purdy struggled. A string of four consecutive misses ended when he found McCaffrey with a checkdown on for a gain of eight on third and twelve.

On fourth and four, Purdy tried to beat a blitz with a quick throw over the middle to McCaffrey. However, Dre Greenlaw was able to get a hand on the ball leading to an interception by Tashaun Gipson.

Purdy’s final play ended his day on a positive note.

The quarterback rolled out to his right after a play fake, everything was covered leading him to start running back to his left where he found George Kittle coming back to him along the sideline for a gain of 14.

Overall, Purdy finished his day 8-17 with three touchdowns, a touchdown run and an interception.

Sam Darnold

Darnold took the first reps of the day with the second offense and found Deebo Samuel on an over route off play action for a gain of 25 yards.

The next turn for the veteran came in the redzone. On his first play Darnold tried to hit Chris Conley who was running a deep in breaking route on the left side and didn’t see the linebacker. Darnold’s pass was nearly intercepted by linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles.

Two plays later from the ten, Darnold hit Ray-Ray McCloud in the back left corner of the endzone for a touchdown.

Following the special teams break Darnold saw his next series come following a redzone period. He completed a pair of checkdown throws, one to Ty Davis-Price and the other to Deebo Samuel while moving out of the pocket due to pressure.

Darnold had one series during move the ball and made the longest play of the day.

Facing third and three from his own 42, pressure forced Darnold to move out of the pocket. As the quarterback moved to his right, he spotted Brayden Willis deep down the right sideline. Darnold was able to get the ball out to the rookie tight end for a gain of 35.

Darnold finished the day 6-9 with one touchdown.

Trey Lance

Lance saw his string of stacking good days together come to an end on Monday. His first pass was a precursor of what was to come from the 49ers defense.

Following a play fake, Lance tried to hit Deebo Samuel on a crossing route to the left side, but linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles was there for the interception. This was just the second turnover of camp for the third-year quarterback.

The next series for Lance came in the redzone. Working from the ten, he connected with Chris Conley on a quick slant for a gain of eight. On the next play, again from the ten, Lance picked up five yards on a quarterback draw before being marked down by the referees after a gain of five. The three play series ended when pressure forced Lance from the pocket, and he threw the ball away to avoid a negative play.

Following the special teams break, Lance worked with the second offensive line for a redzone move the ball possession.

On first and ten from the 20, Lance hit Ray-Ray McCloud with a quick throw to the left for a gain of four. He followed the completion up by drawing defensive tackle Kevin Givens offside to set up third and short. A trio of runs by Jordan Mason moved the ball down to the three. Facing third and three, Lance tried to hit Jauan Jennings for a touchdown on the left side, but cornerback A.J. Parker was able to get his hand on the ball to force an incompletion.

Lance had one series during a long move the ball period. Following a loss of two by Khalan Laborn, Lance tried to hit Tay Martin deep down the right side, but the ball was overthrown.

Overall, Lance finished the day 3-7 with an interception.

 

Brandon Allen

Allen saw some work early in practice. During a redzone session he completed all three passes but was unable to get the ball into the endzone.

Tashaun Gipson

Gipson led the 49ers in interceptions last year. He is doing the same so far during this training camp. He came away with one today. Through the first ten practices, Gipson has picked off Brock Purdy three times.

Dre Greenlaw

Greenlaw set up the interception for Gipson when the got his hands onto a pass over the middle from Purdy that was intended for Christian McCaffrey.

The linebacker also showed off his speed, chasing down Christian McCaffrey on an outside run to hold him for no gain.

Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

The veteran is fighting for a spot in a very deep linebacker room. Today he was able to come away with an interception of Trey Lance and nearly had a second, this one off Sam Darnold.

Austin Bryant

Bryant has been slowed by injuries in this camp. Today he was all over the place. The pass rusher had at least a pair of sacks and generated consistent pressure. His speed as almost unstoppable.

Drake Jackson

Jackson showed up early against the run. His penetration on a run around the right side forced Deebo Samuel to bounce back. As a result, Jackson’s teammates were able to get to the wideback before he could get to the corner.

Clelin Ferrell

Playing defensive end isn’t just about getting after the quarterback. Ferrell showed that today, setting the edge against the run. This led to several tackles around the line of scrimmage for the 49ers defense.

Jalen Graham

The seventh-round draft pick nearly had his first interception of training camp on Saturday. Today the former Purdue standout quickly diagnosed a screen and dropped Ty Davis-Price for no gain.

Kevin Givens

Givens has proven to be a solid rotation piece along the interior of the defensive line. Today he broke through for a sack of Sam Darnold in the redzone.

Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey looked explosive while running in the middle of the field. The 49ers top back was able to find the holes for several runs of five plus yards.

Ty Davis-Price

The second year back continues to have a strong camp. He looks much more comfortable with the offense, hitting the hole and getting upfield quicker than he did as a rookie. Davis-Price is putting pressure on Jordan Mason for the second running back spot behind McCaffrey.