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SANTA CLARA — Joe Staley’s start of his 13th training camp came with a new challenge: Nick Bosa.
Staley, the premier left tackle in 49ers history, was quick to compliment Bosa after Saturday’s first practice of camp, noting how the No. 2 overall draft pick beat him three times in the 90-minute, injury-free session.
“I guess he got Joe a couple times today, but Joe is a seasoned vet and (Bosa) is going to find out very quickly how linemen adjust in this league tomorrow, when Joe stalemates him,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said.
Watching Bosa zoom toward an encouragingly nimble Jimmy Garoppolo was indeed something new. Bosa missed almost all the offseason program with a hamstring strain. He looks healthy, fast, flexible.
“Bosa wins in close quarters,” Saleh added. “He wants you as close to him as possible, then he just has an ability to flip his hips and get skinny in close quarters, where most people need space so they can knock arms down and create angles.”
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey described Bosa as a “technician” who excells with his hands and his hips. (Full pads don’t go on until Monday.)
“He’s got a great football pedigree and he’s very polished for a kid that’s 21 years old as a pass rusher,” McGlinchey said. “He looks like this big, powerful guy, but he’s smart enough to use his hands and get down to bend around the corner.”
Joe Staley gave rave reviews of Nick Bosa’s first #49ersCamp practice, says he got beat three times. pic.twitter.com/2JxHQbBdFx
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) July 27, 2019
Counterpart Dee Ford said Bosa must learn to “stack the days” as a young player and establish a routine.
Truth be told, Bosa simply compliments a well-stocked defensive line that is bursting with talent, speed and power, with Bosa and Ford joining former first-round picks DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas.
“It’s a gauntlet out there these days, which is good for the 49ers,” McGlinchey said.
PARTICIPATION REPORT
Linebacker Kwon Alexander (knee), cornerback Jason Verrett (Achilles) and wide receiver Jalen Herd (knee) made their practice debuts but were kept out of full-team drills. All players participated other than the four stashed on the physically-unable-to-perform list, and one of those four players included free safety Jimmie Ward, who was doing individual conditioning on the side.
QUARTERBACK WATCH: Garoppolo missed on his first two pass attempts to Pettis and Raheem Mostert but then completed six in a row in his first 11-on-11 action since Week 3 last season. He’s continuing to wear a brace on his reconstructed left knee and looks mobile with it.
It was Nick Mullens rather than C.J. Beathard who immediately followed Garoppolo in warm-ups and team drills. Mullens and Beathard both fared well in a competition that will drag out all month — and hopefully prove moot if Garoppolo stays healthy.
FIRST PLAY: Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin lined up as the first-string wide receivers, and the first snap was a Tevin Coleman run that rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw helped stuff.
But Coleman’s addition this year is big, and not just because Jerick McKinnon (knee) isn’t medically cleared. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk noted that, when he watched film of Coleman with the Atlanta Falcons, “he kept finishing in the end zone. That’s something we’ve missed and is going to really help our offense.” Juszczyk also praised Coleman’s “incredible job running the wide zone” and making single cuts.
O-LINE ORDER: Ben Garland remained the first-string center while Weston Richburg (left knee) figures to spend all camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Garoppolo fumbled one snap from under center, and he took extra snaps after practice with Garland.
Flanking Garland on the first team were Staley and Laken Tomlinson on the left side, and McGlinchey and Mike Person on the right side.
Second-string offensive line (left to right): Justin Skule, Daniel Brunskill, Wesley Johnson, Joshua Garnett, Shon Coleman.
Third-string offensive line: Brunskill, Ross Reynolds, Dillon Day, Christian DiLauro, Willie Beavers.
PEOPLE WATCHING: The bleachers were packed with about 1,000 fans, and the VIP guests on the field included father-son pairings, from team ownership (John York and his son, Jed) to coach Kyle Shanahan’s father, Mike. The best post-practice scene was father-daughter time shared by Staley and his two daughters.
#49ers @jstaley74 opens his 13th training camp with his darling daughters on hand pic.twitter.com/dttloKrTYw
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) July 27, 2019
BEST SOUND: When rookie Deebo Samuel made a nice reception and took it down field, veteran Jordan Matthews was the first to holler out congratulations: “Yeah Deebo!” Matthews, by the way, had three receptions in the full-team drills.
PUNT RETURNERS: Incumbent return specialist Trent Taylor looked solid fielding punts in a group that included Pettis, D.J. Reed, Richie James and Malik Henry.
TRANSACTION: Defensive lineman Jordan Thompson, an undrafted rookie from Northwestern, was signed to a one-year contract. The 6-foot-3, 292-pounder spent two weeks with the Indianapolis Colts in May.
