Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Wednesday, June 7th, 2023
49ers minicamp: Deebo Samuel vows to make amends for ‘awful’ 2022 performance (paywall)
“Asked for his impression of the 49ers’ rookie tight ends — Cameron Latu and Brayden Willis — Kittle said they’ve had few “MAs” (missed assignments) and that third-rounder Latu was a little bigger than he expected. He also noted that Latu recorded the second-fastest speed for a tight end Wednesday: 19 mph. The fastest, of course, was Kittle, who clocked in at 20.5 mph.
“They ask a bunch of questions, which I really appreciate,” he said. “I told them both upfront: ‘Please, don’t ever think you’re going to annoy me with questions. I was in your position once, and all I want to do is give you the best chance of making this team. So ask me whatever you want.’ And they’ve both asked me a ton of questions, so I appreciate that eagerness from them.”
“He overthrows people once in a while. Hey, it is what it is. He’s still learning and stuff,” Kittle said. “But I mean, just watching him, he just looks so much more comfortable and confident in the pocket, and I really appreciate that from him, from all the work that he’s put into it.”
Business as usual for Nick Bosa and the 49ers, who are aiming for a new deal (paywall)
“Our conversation was the same as they are every year,” Shanahan said before launching into the laundry list of what he asked and told Bosa. “How you doing? How’s the workout been going? How’s Florida? How’s the boat? You look tan. Legs still look big. What are you going to do today?”
“San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters after Tuesday’s minicamp practice. Here is everything he had to say.”
The reason behind the strong spring of 49ers No. 4 QB Brandon Allen (paywall)
““There’s definitely been some carryover,” Allen said. “Not necessarily in the terminology, but in the route concepts. The reads. I’ve been able to pick it up faster than if I’d been in a different system. It’s been smooth.”
49ers’ Samuel ‘more than ready to go’ after ‘awful’ 2022 season
“We talked about it, we put it behind us and [were] just going through the tape and just look how sluggish and how bad it looked on tape,” Samuel said. “I never will put nothing like that back on tape again.”
Cohn: Instant Analysis of the QB Competition on Day 1 of Minicamp
“Lance started out shaky in the red zone, as he threw the ball away twice and seemed a tad indecisive. But then Lance got hot. First, he casually completed a 25-yard pass to Ray-Ray McCloud near the right sideline. Then Lance hit Brandon Aiyuk over the middle for 15 yards on 3rd and 3. This was Lance’s best pass of the day, because his release was quick, the ball was catchable and the placement was perfect. Then on next play, which was 3rd and 8, Lance fired a dart downfield to Danny Gray, who caught the ball 25 yards past the line of scrimmage, then turned and outran the defense to the end zone for a touchdown. As the practice progressed, Lance’s confidence grew while Darnold’s shrunk. That’s why Day 1 of the 49ers’ minicamp quarterback competition goes to Lance, who was decidedly more aggressive than in OTAs.”
“Gray tried to catch the ball with his body and let it bounce off his chest. After that play, he was outstanding. He made a one-handed catch in the end zone surrounded by three defenders. He was ruled out of bounds, but it still was an impressive catch, because Gray isn’t known for his hand-eye coordination. Later on 3rd and 8, he beat Lenoir with a shallow crossing route and picked up 15 yards. Finally, on 3rd and 8 once again, Gray caught a 25-yard pass near the right sideline, then cut across the width of the field and ran for a 70-yard touchdown. Good to see Gray finally make some plays in practice. He clearly is bigger and stronger than last year.”
“Some guys they can be that, and they can be so anal that the anxiety sets in and they can’t perform,” Lynn told NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday. “He’s different. He performs better. So you let him be him.”
49ers sign former Seahawks defensive lineman, waive wide receiver
“A 26-year-old native of Kingsland, GA, Johnson attended North Carolina A&T University for four years (2015-18) where he appeared in 36 games (24 starts) and added 116 tackles, 19.0 sacks, six passes defensed, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He earned All-American and All-MEAC honors as a junior in 2017.”