The Good and Not So Good from Day 5 of 49ers Camp: Deebo Samuel is in Shape

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers just finished Day 5 of training camp. Here's who stood out.

THE GOOD

1. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel

Practiced for the first time with the 49ers in two years, looked slimmer than he has in years, and produced. He gained 20 yards on a screen, another 20 yards on a carry to the perimeter, and an additional 20 yards on a catch over the middle. He also dropped a pass that was slightly behind him during 1-on-1 drills. It's good that he's in shape, but he's still declining. He's not as good as he was a few years ago. And if he has to start, the 49ers will be in trouble. De'Zhaun Stribling is a better option right now, but he's injured. More on him in a minute.

2. Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir

Broke up two passes over the middle during 11-on-11s. The first was thrown by Kurtis Rourke and intended for Mike Evans. The second was thrown by Brock Purdy and intended for Deebo Samuel. It's easy to forget that Lenoir is one of the best cornerbacks in the league because he plays on a defense with zero pass rush. The 49ers are lucky to have him.

3. Head coach Kyle Shanahan

Every day, he spends longer on the practice field than the previous day. Today, he stayed until the end. And after watching the offense struggle for more than an hour, he appeared to start coaching the offense for the final two drives, and even led the starters to a touchdown by mercilessly targeting Renardo Green and Ji'Ayir Brown repeatedly. Shanahan clearly is the MVP of the 49ers organization.

4. Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa

Blew past Dominick Puni during 11-on-11s to "sack" Brock Purdy. The 49ers haven't had an interior pass rusher as good as Odighizuwa since DeForest Buckner was on the team eight years ago. Now, the 49ers just need Nick Bosa to stay healthy.

5. Trent Williams and Nick Bosa

Neither one participates in 11-on-11s or 1-on-1s -- they're too important. The 49ers don't want some undrafted free agent potentially injuring them. So while the rest of the linemen face off 1-on-1, Bosa and Williams face each other 1-on-1. And they're not going full speed, but they are helping each other improve. That's a good use of their time.

6. Wide receiver Jacob Cowing

Beat Upton Stout with a fade from the slot for a touchdown during 1 -on-1s, then created a cool five yards of separation with an out route against Jack Jones in the same drill. Who knew switching from No. 19 to No. 6 would bring out the best in Cowing? Don't write him off just yet.

7. Wide receiver Wesley Grimes

Ran right by third-year cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. to catch a deep touchdown pass during 1-on-1s. Grimes is similar to Stribling in the sense that both are big, fast, and physical. The difference is that Grimes currently is healthy, while Stribling is not.

8. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke

Got to take a rep with the starters today. He threw a pass over the middle to Mike Evans, and it was broken up by Lenoir. But for Rourke to play with the starters, the coaches must like what they're seeing from him. And, they probably don't like what they're seeing from Mac Jones, who's having a dreadful training camp. More on him in a minute.

THE NOT SO GOOD

1. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall

Out for the season due to a PCL injury he suffered in Week 4 of last season. If Pearsall had surgery last year, he would be healthy by now. Instead, the team wanted him to try to rehab without a procedure, their plan failed, and now he has to get surgery and miss the entire 2026 season. What a blunder. Now we see why players such as George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, Fred Warner, and Brandon Aiyuk chose to rehab away from the team. Too bad Pearsall didn't do the same thing. Unfortunately, he might have gotten in trouble with the team if he had followed his own rehab plan.

2. Wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling

Missed practice with hamstring tightness. As a result, the offense struggled. Stribbling isn't the best route-runner versus man-to-man coverage, but he's extremely effective against zone when the defense is focused on covering Mike Evans and Christian McCaffrey. Now that Stribling is injured and Samuel is back, look for Stribling to take a back seat behind the veteran, even though Stribling is better than him. Roster politics always favor the elderly on the 49ers.

3. Safety Ji'Ayir Brown

Gave up a touchdown catch to tight end Luke Farrell during a move-the-ball period. If Brown can't cover Farrell, then Brown can't cover any tight end. Unfortunately for the 49ers, the alternative at safety is Ashtyn Davis, who's far worse than Brown.

4. Cornerback Renardo Green

Gave up back-to-back catches to Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Watkins during a move-the-ball period. Green usually has tight coverage, but he almost never intercepts passes, so quarterbacks target him without fear of getting burned. He needs to start finishing plays.

5. Defensive end Romello Height

Missed practice with an elbow injury. Almost all the promising young players on the roster are injured right now. At least, it seems that way.

6. Left tackle Enrique Cruz

He can't block, which is a problem for an offensive lineman. He plays left tackle with the backups, and he frequently whiffs completely. Meaning he doesn't lay a finger on the man he's supposed to block. I can't tell you why the 49ers drafted this guy. He wasn't even good in college.

7. Quarterback Brock Purdy

He had an awful day of practice until Shanahan took over the offense at the end. Maybe it's because I said he wasn't zipping his passes yesterday. Today, he threw with too much zip. When he had Kyle Juszczyk open downfield on a wheel route, Purdy fired a low liner over his head and past him. A few minutes later, Purdy did the same thing on a long throw intended for Christian McCaffrey. I blame myself. Brock, don't listen to me in the future. If you want to float every pass that you throw, go for it. Whatever works for you. I find it hilarious that he started playing well when Shanahan started coaching. It seems like Purdy never will beat the system-quarterback allegations. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

8. Quarterback Mac Jones

He's having an abysmal training camp. When he misses his target, he tends to miss by a lot, which is uncharacteristic of him. It's almost like he lost motivation when the 49ers refused to trade him to a team that would play him. Now, it looks like he's going through the motions, and he's beginning to lose reps to Kurtis Rourke. Get it together, Mac.

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