49ers camp takeaways: Purdy works on key skill after solid practice

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers closed out their third block of training camp practices Sunday with a shorter, pad-less session.

Deebo Samuel was out of uniform for his first veteran rest day of training camp, while Christian McCaffrey suited up and participated in individual drills, but not 11-on-11 work. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year watched team drills while standing near 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and running backs coach Bobby Turner in the backfield. 

There was no sign of Elijah Mitchell on the field, which meant a healthy amount of reps for Jordan Mason and the rest of San Francisco's ball carriers.

Here are five takeaways from Day 10 of 49ers training camp:

Solid Day For Purdy

Even though players were not wearing pads, there was constant pressure on Purdy during 11-on-11 drills. But the quarterback avoided any turnovers, completing 12 of his 14 attempts. With only a few short periods of team drills, Purdy remained on the field for an extra 10 minutes after the conclusion of practice, throwing specific passes with the training staff.

“Just throwing on the run,” Purdy explained after practice. “I feel like at practice I can continue to get better at throwing on the run and being on time with throwing on the run. After practice I just wanted to hone in on -- we have a day off tomorrow, so I wanted to get after it in terms of staying on the move, being accurate with the throws and trying to get better.”

Kittle's Extra Effort

George Kittle was on the field for much of Sunday’s session, catching all three of his targets from Purdy. After practice, the All-Pro gathered the tight end group to practice certain blocking scenarios while his father, Bruce Kittle, stood on the field nearby.

The extra efforts have been noticed by offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who has been impressed by free-agent addition Eric Saubert and second-year tight end Brayden Willis.

“Everybody’s talking about how [Willis] is doing so well, and then and [Saubert],” Foerster said on Saturday. “All these guys are doing a good job. They stand out all the time. I’m looking up, guy did a good job on that play. They’re doing a really good job. The fact that George Kittle embraces the run game and blocking – you do it here or you’re not here. And that’s been the one thing that I really love.”

No Sign Of Aiyuk

The star 49ers wide receiver was not seen on field during practice, but there are reports he was at the facility as he has been throughout training camp. Aiyuk and the 49ers appear to be at a stalemate on a future contract extension, and until it is resolved, the wideout will not participate during practices.

With Samuel also not participating in practice, there were several more reps for Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings and the remainder of the receiver group.

Pearsall Makes Most Of Reps

The rookie wide receiver was seen on the field with both Purdy and Brandon Allen, and had two standout receptions in tight coverage. One of Pearsall’s catches from Allen came as he was closely covered by safety Tayler Hawkins and still managed to hold onto the ball.

Pearsall caught his second pass from Purdy while Deommodore Lenoir had tight coverage throughout the entire route. The first-round draft pick was able to come down with the ball, frustrating Lenoir, who even appeared to get his hands on the ball before it was completely secured by the rookie. 

Defense Showing Its Potential

Without being able to tackle and hit at full impact, the defense’s potential can be difficult to measure in camp -- but their speed to the ball is not. There were no turnovers during the Sunday session, but there was good pressure on the quarterback with apparent "sacks" from Nick Bosa, Alex Barrett and Austin Bryant.

Tayler Hawkins, Sam Womack, Isaac Yiadom and Ji’Ayir Brown all registered pass breakups during team drills, but one got away from Dee Winters. The second-year linebacker got his hands on a pass intended for tight end Eric Saubert. After the play, Winters clearly was upset that he wasn’t able to keep hold of the ball for an interception.

The 49ers will have a day off Monday and reconvene Tuesday for another three consecutive days of work on the field.

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