Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Friday, May 20th, 2022
Branch: 49ers’ Jason Poe was so bad in ninth grade, his coach urged him not to play (paywall)
“We were thinking, ‘OK, if he sticks it out he’s going to be a lifetime scout-team O-line guy and hopefully on senior night we can get him in for a couple reps somewhere,” Strickland said. “We had no idea. I’m telling you, don’t bet against him.”
Simms’ harsh Lance criticism includes potential silver linings
“Simms ranked the presumed 49ers starter at No. 31, only one spot ahead of Sam Darnold, two spots ahead of Geno Smith. Not exactly elite company. He also says “he’s not the best quarterback on the roster,” teasing out that Jimmy Garoppolo will be ranked higher on his Top 40 QB Countdown list.”
“I see someone who doesn’t necessarily play to his speed throughout routes, and for a lot of guys who are really fast, that’s the thing they have to learn the most. When I watch him and I watch defensive backs, they’re not threatened by his speed. At all. They cover him like he’s closer to a 4.6 than a 4.3. I’m watching to see if they’re in a rush to get upfield, if they’re bailing on their technique, are they timid to get hands on the receiver? When I was watching guys against him, there was none of that. To me, they weren’t really respecting his speed. Now, if you throw on a highlight and you see him catch a post or a crossing route and outrun people, you see his speed from that standpoint. I get it. But when you put on the film, I didn’t see pop on a consistent basis at all.”
49ers QB Trey Lance makes Ryan Tannehill look worse with huge leadership move
“It’s not often you see a player as young as Lance taking so much initiative. That’s certainly a good look for the young 49ers quarterback. It stands out particularly well considering Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s reluctance to take Malik Willis under his arm.”
“If we learned anything from the drama leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, it’s that the 49ers as an organization do not leak information. The majority of analysts and pundits were certain that Mac Jones was going to be the pick at three, and they couldn’t have been more wrong. Any report that mentions a source “close to” or “in” the front office is automatically invalidated in my opinion.”
“But we also saw Gray make some exceptional catches, including an acrobatic catch along the sideline. He’s very explosive, too, maybe even better than initially thought even as a speedy prospect, and it’s clear he has limitless potential in an offense like San Francisco’s that thrives in allowing receivers into space.”