SANTA CLARA — Kyle Shanahan is so exasperated at the performance of his rookies in recent years that he junked a scheduled walkthrough before the New Orleans game so they could practice on their own.
Yes, the annual rookie show performed before veterans and the coaching staff has been that bad.
“We’re cancelling the walkthrough to allow them to practice and making the threat that if it’s not good enough they’ll do it Monday and Tuesday also,” Shanahan said Friday. “We’ll see how it works.”
In 2022, Brock Purdy, a third-string quarterback and the last player taken in the NFL Draft, was part of the rookie show disappointment. Purdy said rookies did impersonations of veterans — he was Jauan Jennings — and did it in the form of a spelling bee.
“The concept and idea was good, but the execution was not,” Purdy said. “We got booed off. Not a good memory for me.”
Neither Shanahan nor Purdy was being serious of course. And even if the 49ers’ eight-man draft class of 2024 plays to poor reviews in the rookie show, their play on the field suggests at the least there will be some impactful roles played by rookies and perhaps as early as Week 1.
More experience awaits Sunday when the 49ers host the New Orleans Saints (5 p.m.) at Levi’s Stadium in the second of three preseason games.
General manager John Lynch, perhaps relieved to be off the topic of the hold-in of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and the holdout of tackle Trent Williams, was in full rave mode during the first of his weekly appearances on 49ers’ flagship KNBR.
Dominick Puni, a third-round pick out of Kansas, has been the starter at right guard since the first practice with returnees Spencer Burford (hand) and Jon Feliciano (knee) sidelined with injuries.
“Puni has been an absolute stud,” Lynch said. “Plug and play.”
Lynch compared safety Malik Mustapha, a fourth-round pick, to Arizona safety Budda Baker after making a big goal line hit and a special teams hit in a 17-13 loss to Tennessee.
“He’s a knock-back player,” Lynch said.
Lynch also talked up cornerback Renardo Green, a second-round pick, and believes good things are in store for first-round selection Ricky Pearsall Jr. once he gets healthy.
A look at how the rookie draft class has fared through 17 practices:
WR Ricky Pearsall Jr., Florida (1/31)
Pearsall came to camp with a hamstring strain and has since reinjured a shoulder. He’s practiced six times beginning to end but Shanahan thinks Pearsall can still be a factor when the New York Jets come to town in Week 1.
“We’ll find out when he gets back and where he is,” Shanahan said. “We’ve got another week, then two weeks after. That’s enough time. He’s able to run and do all those things, but we want to protect him so he doesn’t have a setback.”
CB Renardo Green, Florida State (2/64)
Green, who has been working as both an outside corner and a slot corner, seems destined to be on the field a lot in the early going whether he’s starting or not. Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen was impressed with his debut against Tennessee.
“I saw a young kid that played a lot and played two spots in the same game,” Sorensen said. “It wasn’t perfect, but some of the stuff he did was really competitive.”
G Dominick Puni, Kansas (3/86)
At 6-foot-5, 313 pounds, Puni has more than held his own with the first team. He could end up starting or split time with a veteran as line coach Chris Foerster did with Burford and Feliciano.
“He’s been consistent throughout, the way he started camp and has continued to work every week,” Foerster said. “Everything we saw him do in practice, he did in a game.”
S Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest (4/124)
Mustapha (5-10, 206) has played some deep balls well in camp and against Tennessee finally got to test his reputation as a hitter in an NFL game. He passed with flying colors.
“He cut it loose the entire game and played physical,” Sorensen said. “A really violent player. He played smart too, as far as being able to communicate, being in the right spots. Really, he had a good game.”
RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville (4/129)
Guerendo hasn’t seen the field since going down with a hamstring strain early in the first practice and he’ll have to use all of his blinding speed to catch up with a group that includes Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell plus an interesting undrafted rookie in Cody Schrader.
“The key thing is they don’t go in the tank, that you don’t lose them,” running backs coach Bobby Turner said after the injury. “It was a big letdown, the first thing that came out of my mouth is it’s a temporary setback. When you’re number is called again, go after it.”
WR Jacob Cowing, Arizona (4/135)
Slowed by a hamstring strain early in camp, Cowing (5-9, 171) is beginning to come out of his shell and had an excellent practice Friday that included a seam reception with full extension.
“He’s been behind the eight ball with some injuries, and it’s always rough at first,” Shanahan said. “It seemed like he had one of his better days today. I hope he’ll get a lot of playing time in the game and get that experience and start stacking those days up.”
Cowing could factor in as a return specialist after the 49ers figure out how they’re going to deploy their kickoff return team in light of the new rules in that area.
G Jarrett Kingston, USC (6/215)
Kingston had 31 second-half snaps against Tennessee as a guard, which is the position Foerster believes he will play with the 49ers after being both a guard and tackle in college.
“He’s got to work on his anchor and things like that inside,” Foerster said. “There’s pluses and minuses at both positions for him. So he’s got to make up some space at guard to get better there.”
He might be a tick behind Nick Zakelj, who has a two-year head start, as well as Ben Bartsch in competition behind starters Puni and Aaron Banks, as well as Burford and Feliciano. Could be a practice squad candidate.
LB Tatum Bethune, Florida State (7/251)
Bethune read a pass play perfectly and nearly came up with an interception, clasping his hands against his helmet when he failed to secure it.
With starters Fred Warner and De’Vondre Campbell to go along with veteran Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and second-year players Dee Winters and Jalen Graham, it’s a steep hill for Bethune to climb. That doesn’t even include Dre Greenlaw, who is expected back at some point.
Bethune will need to excel on special teams to have any shot at the 53-man roster and could be a practice squad candidate.
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