7 takeaways from the San Francisco 49ers' first week of training camp

The San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday wrapped their first week of training camp practices.

Their first six sessions featured four without pads to start, then two in pads to close out the first week. With padless practices in the mix it’s hard to get a gauge on exactly how well players are performing, but there was enough in the first week to take some things away:

An unexpected breakout player from 2023 draft

Dee Winters’ name has come up a ton out of the first six practices. The 2023 sixth-round pick is getting the first-team reps at the Will linebacker spot. It looked last season like Winters may be on the outside looking in at a roster spot. Over the offseason he put himself in position to take a leap and now it looks through a week of practice like he’s the frontrunner for one of the most important starting jobs on the 49ers’ defense.

Rookies making waves

The 49ers badly needed production from this year’s draft class, and early signs are extremely good. First-round pick Mykel Williams is running with the first team and making a splash with his combination of size and athleticism. Fifth-round running back Jordan James drew praise from the Athletic, and fourth-round wide receiver Jordan Watkins has carried his strong performance from OTAs. Perhaps the rookie getting the most notice is fourth-round pick CJ West. He impressed in his first day in pads when he was a force in one-on-one drills. There’s a long way to go for these first-year players to make an impact, but the early returns are strong.

Undrafted surprises

Speaking of rookies, undrafted rookie cornerback Jakob Robinson has made multiple plays that garnered attention from reporters at the team facility. There isn’t a ton of certainty down the CB depth chart. The 49ers have found some undrafted gems, and their roster at CB leaves a door wide open for a UDFA to make his way onto the roster.

On the offensive side, wide receiver Isaiah Neyor has shown off a well-rounded skill set with his size and athleticism. CB Deommodore Lenoir had high praise for Neyor after Tuesday’s practice. With so many players out at WR, the 49ers could open the door for the UDFA WR to sneak into the back of the depth chart.

Brock Purdy cruising

There hasn’t been a ton of noteworthy performances for Purdy. That’s probably good at this point. There aren’t any incredible days, but there haven’t been any disastrous outings. A smooth opening to camp is a quality benchmark for the 49ers’ new franchise QB. Camp should be relatively uneventful and Purdy’s start is encouraging in that regard.

Injury updates aplenty

There hasn’t been the volume of injuries the 49ers dealt with last year, but there are a slew of key players already banged up. Not including players put on injured lists before camp, here are some of the players and the injuries they’re dealing with:

WR Jauan Jennings (calf)
DE Mykel Williams (ankle)
CB Renardo Green (hamstring)
WR Jacob Cowing (ankle)
DE Tarron Jackson (neck, IR)
CB Deommodore Lenoir and RB Jordan James missed Tuesday’s practice for undisclosed reasons. It’s not clear if they’re injured or if they missed practice for a different reason.

The good news on the injury front for the 49ers is that running back Christian McCaffrey has looked fully healthy and hasn’t been taking any extraordinary number of snaps off.

A concerning injury non-update

It was a surprise when offensive lineman Ben Bartch was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list before camp. He sustained a quad injury while training in the offseason. That he hasn’t returned yet is something noteworthy since it’s giving Nick Zakelj a ton of additional first-team reps in the left guard battle. Perhaps Bartch returns in the next set of three practices, but the longer he’s out the further behind he falls in the battle for the lone starting job that’s open on the 49ers’ offensive front.

Kicker battle at a stalemate

The 49ers are making Jake Moody and Greg Joseph have a real battle for the kicker job. That showdown hasn’t yielded any results that would indicate one player is ahead of the other, which may continue being the case the rest of camp. What will ultimately separate the duo is how well they perform in game situations. Given how tight the race is now, it may come down to one missed kick in the preseason that decides the battle.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 7 takeaways from the San Francisco 49ers’ first week of training camp