What are the San Francisco 49ers going to do at their threadbare receiver spot? What are their plans at swing tackle? And where exactly do they envision second-round rookie Alfred Collins lining up on their defensive line?<\/p>\n
These are the questions that worry readers as we hit the homestretch of the summer season.<\/p>\n
Thanks for all the great questions, some of which have been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n
Why do you think the 49ers are so physically fragile? What do you think causes so many injuries? \u2014 David P.<\/strong><\/p>\n Some of the team\u2019s injuries in the preseason are just bad luck. Knee injuries to Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos last year and injuries to Corey Kiner (high ankle) and Dominick Puni (knee) this month aren\u2019t part of any systemic issue. They\u2019re just misfortune.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any question, however, that the 49ers practice harder and faster than most NFL teams, including in training camp. Consider the player quotes in this story from 2023, one of them from receiver Chris Conley: \u201cIt\u2019s not about preservation here. It\u2019s about attacking.\u201d<\/p>\n Kyle Shanahan wants his players accustomed to the speed and intensity required in the regular season. He wants players to build what he calls \u201ca callus\u201d during training camp. Achieving that callus comes with a cost.<\/p>\n That, at least, is my theory on why they have so many injuries each summer \u2014 they\u2019re being pushed harder than most teams.<\/p>\n Do you know what the 49ers do for a conditioning test at the start of camp? \u2014 Clayton J.<\/strong><\/p>\n They used to do something called a beep test in which the entire team ran back and forth between two points before a loud BEEP sounded. The catch was that the interval between beeps gradually decreased, causing more and more players to drop out or fail to reach the markers in time. I remember the last guys running usually were the quarterbacks and specialists because they weren\u2019t sprinters and weren\u2019t carrying a lot of weight.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know if any team still uses that test. These days, the players wear GPS devices that track their speeds, distances and other measures. If a player is out of shape, it shows up in the numbers.<\/p>\n In a recent article, you mentioned the 49ers envision Alfred Collins as a three-technique. But his immense size and lack of explosive physical traits (26-inch vertical jump, 8-foot broad jump) don\u2019t scream penetrating defensive tackle. Wouldn\u2019t he be better at zero-technique\/nose tackle? \u2014 Dean R.<\/strong><\/p>\n The 49ers note there weren\u2019t a lot of instances in which Collins was coached to fire off the line of scrimmage (the way the 49ers defensive linemen do) when he was at Texas. However, he did so occasionally on obvious passing downs and looked good \u2014 and light on his feet \u2014 on those plays.<\/p>\n \u201cYou saw the explosiveness of his body, the ability to really change direction and the speed to pursue the ball, the change of speed to go fetch plays downfield,\u201d defensive line coach Kris Kocurek said in June.<\/p>\n Last week, when he was asked about the various roles he sees for the rookie defensive linemen, Kocurek said, \u201cAlfred\u2019s length matches up to a three-technique type player a little bit more than CJ (West\u2019s) length. But I like the skill sets of all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n That said, Collins has not shown a lot of explosion \u2014 or effective explosion \u2014 this summer. In fact, he was often the last lineman (on both sides of the ball) to fire out of his stance in Saturday\u2019s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Pro Football Focus gave him a lowly 48.2 grade after giving him a 40.6 grade in the preseason opener.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible, even likely, that his legs are dead after sitting out all of spring practices, and because the 49ers are so low on defensive tackles. He is also learning an entirely new technique, and Kocurek cautioned that Collins will need time to adjust.<\/p>\n All of which is to say, the 49ers are willing to wait a little longer to determine his best spot.<\/p>\n Since Thanksgiving of 2023, the 49ers\u2019 front seven has seemed vulnerable. Now, without Dre Greenlaw (but with Robert Saleh and the rookies), what weaknesses do you think that group still possesses? \u2014 Neeraj J.<\/strong><\/p>\n I think the biggest weakness is the lack of an obvious three-technique. With Kevin Givens (pec) out for a while and Collins developing slowly, the most natural player there is Kalia Davis, who\u2019s largely unproven.<\/p>\n Mykel Williams \u2014 and Gross-Matos, when he\u2019s healthy \u2014 will get opportunities to rush from the inside this season. Still, the 49ers\u2019 2023 three-technique, Javon Hargrave, had seven sacks and 52 quarterback pressures that season. It\u2019s hard to see any of the 49ers\u2019 current interior rushers coming close to those numbers.<\/p>\n Which position-group injury clusters appear to be most worrisome to those inside the building? \u2014 Ryan S.<\/strong><\/p>\n Receiver. By a fairly wide margin.<\/p>\n What do you think is a likely receiving mix this season? Top guy, slot, TE, Christian McCaffrey, etc.? \u2014 Spence A.<\/strong><\/p>\n To begin the season:<\/p>\n X (split end) \u2014 Jauan Jennings<\/p>\n Z (flanker) \u2014 Ricky Pearsall<\/p>\n F (slot) \u2014 Jacob Cowing<\/p>\n To end the season (ideal scenario):<\/p>\n X \u2014 Brandon Aiyuk<\/p>\n Z \u2014 Pearsall<\/p>\n F \u2014 Jennings<\/p>\n It makes sense that at the beginning of the season, the 49ers will lean on George Kittle and McCaffrey in the passing game. Kittle has been the best player \u2014 offense and defense \u2014 in training camp this year, and McCaffrey \u2026 if he\u2019s not back to his 2023 form, he\u2019s pretty close to it.<\/p>\n Terique Owens seemed to be on the way up the depth chart earlier in training camp. But even with the injuries to the WR group, he\u2019s rarely mentioned. Is he once again headed to the practice squad? \u2014 Ray D.<\/strong><\/p>\n He\u2019s made a few catches in practice and \u2014 there\u2019s no overstating this, especially at receiver \u2014 he\u2019s managed to remain healthy. But he\u2019s usually one of the last receivers to be worked into the 11-on-11 mix and remains a work in progress. My sense is that the 49ers are going to make a few additions \u2014 to both the 53-man and practice squad rosters \u2014 at the end of the month.<\/p>\n Do you think the 49ers regret cutting RB Israel Abanikanda? \u2014 Allan B.<\/strong><\/p>\n No. Jeff Wilson Jr. > Abanikanda<\/p>\n For that brief time Dee Ford was healthy, the pass rush with Nick Bosa was spectacular. Haven\u2019t had it since. Any chance the 49ers can afford Trey Hendrickson? He\u2019d get \u2019em over the top. \u2014 Chris D.<\/strong><\/p>\n