The Top 7 Storylines to Focus on When the 49ers Open Training Camp

Training camp is about to kick off for the San Francisco 49ers.

It all started Tuesday when Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch held their annual press conference to open up camp. Following that, camp will officially commence on Wednesday. A whole offseason full of reports, rumors, and hypotheticals will officially be answered with the work on the field speaking for it all.

Here are the top seven storylines to focus on when the 49ers open training camp.

1.) How does the quarterback depth chart unfold?

All offseason, the 49ers have sold the quarterback position to be an open competition between Trey Lance and Sam Darnold. With Purdy on the mend, the two were vying for the backup job and potentially the starting job depending on Purdy's recovery. With the way the first team snaps were shared, it's tough to say if the 49ers are leaning towards one over the other, which makes training camp and then the preseason to figure out how the depth chart will unfold.

2.) Colton McKivitz at right tackle

For the first time under Shanahan, the 49ers will have a brand new starting right tackle. Mike McGlinchey departed in free agency to the Broncos, which pushes Colton McKivitz towards the top. The 49ers didn't use free agency nor the draft to try to restock the position. That means they have a lot of faith in McKivitz, which puts a ton of pressure on him and offensive line coach Chris Foerster. McKivitz has had scarce playing time, but in those limited moments he hasn't shown anything to instill confidence in. Whatever the 49ers see in McKivitz to hand him the starting job, he will need to showcase that in training camp or the situation there will be concerning.

3.) The conditioning/shape of Deebo Samuel

Last year Deebo Samuel didn't participate in his first training camp practice until the fifth day when the pads came on. And boy, did that late start for him, along with skipping offseason workouts, show immediately. Samuel was out of shape and struggling in practices. It was clear that he wasn't doing much of any on field work while his contract negotiations for an extension were going on. This wasn't the first time he did this either. The last time was in 2020 where he was a bit on the heavier side, so this training camp will be interesting to see if he is actually prepared this time.

4.) The influence of Steve Wilks on the defense

The 49ers defense is undergoing a transition to their third defensive coordinator in the Shanahan Era. However, this time around they did not hire within as they did from Robert Saleh to DeMeco Ryans. The 49ers went and signed Steve Wilks from the Panthers on the condition that Wilks maintain the base structure of the defense. Still, there is going to be some sort of influence from Wilks on the defense. What will that influence be and will it be beneficial? Not too much will be revealed through training camp and the preseason, but there are sure to be signs of any tweaks he may have made.

5.) Will Drake Jackson be a standout player?

There was a lot of hype given to Drake Jackson from Shanahan and other coaches. With that hype comes a lot of pressure, which was already substantial without their words. So now, Jackson not only has to be sweet in the regular season, he has to show that the hype received was valid by being a standout player in training camp. He doesn't have to be one of the top performing players in camp, but he has to be a noticeable one. The one-on-one matchups between the offensive and defensive line is the main way to see if he is that guy.

6.) The kicker competition

Just because the 49ers drafted kicker Jake Moody in the third round, a round that is too rich to draft a kicker initially, does not mean he is guaranteed to be the starter. Zane Gonzalez is still on the roster, which means there is going to be a competition conducted. Moody isn't on a full scholarship. I'm sure there will be some leeway if he has a rough patch, but he cannot be whiffing kicks for a long period of training camp, especially if Gonzalez is looking like the safer option. In a season where the 49ers have no time to wait on players to develop, they would easily go with Gonzalez if he is the better kicker than Moody who drafted so high.

7.) Who ends up as the fourth running back on the depth chart?

Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, and Jordan Mason have the top three spots on the running back depth chart. The 49ers will assuredly carry four running backs onto their final roster as going with five on top of a fullback is excessive. Ty Davis-Price is the favorite to make that final spot in betting terms. However, the 49ers have shown they will have no issue letting a third round running back go like how they did with Trey Sermon last year. Davis-Price is competing against two undrafted free agents, which in theory should give him the edge, but he showed zero promise last season. He is definitely an expendable player, so how this position shakes up in the backend will be intriguing.