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SANTA CLARA — Defensive end Nick Bosa dug his gloved hands into the sod, powered off the line, counter-punched the left tackle before tossing him to the side and cutting inside the pocket.
Welcome to a new era in 49ers pass rush, even if their top draft pick won’t join his full complement of teammates until after this weekend’s rookie minicamp.
Bosa looked the part of a promising, hulking, dominating defensive end in his No. 97, white jersey with black shorts, black gloves and black cleats. It was his long-awaited return to competition, having bowed out of his final season at Ohio State after three games because of a core-muscle injury requiring surgery.
“It’s great to be around the boys, but I’ve got a lot of rust,” Bosa said as he walked off the field.
Bosa and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the 49ers’ top two picks, are the only unsigned players from last week’s eight-man draft class, but that can be expected and should not be alarming until training camp in four months.
Wisely, the 49ers kept Bosa out of 11-on-11 sessions, a precautionary measure taken not only because he hasn’t played in over six months but there’s no need to risk him getting tripped up by undrafted, over-hyped tryout players.
The only 49ers veteran who strayed over to watch Friday’s practice (and 40-player tryout) was right tackle Mike McGlinchey, last year’s top draft pick who most certainly will be going toe-to-toe for years to come with Bosa.
Watch: #49ers Nick Bosa’s first impression at rookie minicamp: pic.twitter.com/YswYChVD2H
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) May 3, 2019
Although Bosa rushed mostly from the left side in Friday’s one-on-one drills, McGlinchey figures defensive coordinator Robert Saleh routinely will flip-flop his defense, meaning Bosa and new edge rusher Dee Ford can attack from either side.
“It’s exciting watching football on a field again and I can’t stay away,” McGlinchey said. “I’ve met (Bosa) a few times. He’s a good dude.”
Bosa looked as advertised from a technique standpoint in terms of how he got low, used his hands, and showed power and speed, not to mention nice balance when a tryout tackle tipped him on his outside rush from the wide-9 technique being installed by new defensive line coach Kris Kocurek.
Kocurek also came as advertised in his on-field debut with the 49ers. Yes, there was a lot of shouting, but with intent in a coach-them-up way. Whether he’d tell his linemen to “Get off!” or lower the stance, his intensity was embraced by Bosa, who said of Kocurek: “He’s super smart. And you’ve got to appreciate his enthusiasm.”
— Samuel and Jalen Hurd, the second- and third-round picks, lined up at various positions. Neither was flawless on early targets, but they also ran solid routes and had encouraging debuts. Samuel and Malik Henry fielded punts, which were booming from fourth-round pick Mitch Wishnowsky.
— Officially signed are wide receiver Jalen Hurd, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, tight end Kaden Smith, tackle Justin Skule, cornerback Tim Harris and punter Mitch Wishnowsky, the latter having been the first NFL pick to sign earlier this week.
— Smith is the latest in Stanford’s pipeline of tight ends to make the NFL, and he received congratulatory texts from predecessors Zach Ertz (Eagles), Austin Hooper (Falcons) and Dalton Schultz (Cowboys).
“One of the reasons I went to Stanford was it has an NFL offense with NFL lingo, and a lot of tight ends go into the league and they don’t have a big problem learning the new plays,” Smith said.
Next up in that Stanford-to-NFL pipeline is likely Colby Parkinson, a junior. “He’s been working on his blocking a lot and his mobility so he can get lower,” Smith said. “He’s going to step in as the new seem guy, I imagine, and do a great job with blocking, too.”
Smith will compete for the No. 2 tight end role behind Pro Bowler George Kittle, who texted Smith congratulations and well wishes upon being drafted. “I saw what he did last year, excited to come and learn from him, eventually fight for his spot,” Smith said. “I’m not really sure what my role is yet.”
Fight for Kittle’s spot? Well, it’s good to be young and ambitious.
— Skule is looking forward to meeting starting tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey, adding: “Those are both really good players I know I can learn a lot from, so I’m excited to get to work with them.” Skule only played offensive tackle at Vanderbilt and likely will compete with Shon Coleman at swing tackle, but Skule added that he’s versatile and willing to play on the interior if needed.
Skule prided his college career on not missing a meaningful snap in his final three years and bringing “toughness” every play.
— Offensive lineman Anthony Davis is attempting to come out of retirement for a third time since 2015. The 49ers’ 2010 top draft pick initially retired in June 2015 amid concussion concerns. He returned in 2016, and after attempting to switch from right tackle to right guard, he nearly retired two days before the season opener, then indeed retired again on Sept. 26 that year.
Davis cited the NFL’s strides in making the game safer spurred his decision to return, according to his letter to the NFL that ProFootballTalk.com posted.
— Guard Joshua Garnett is among 14 first-round draft picks from 2016 to have their fifth-year option declined by Friday’s deadline. The 49ers exercised defensive tackle DeForest Buckner’s 2020 option last week in advance of a long-term extension.
— Undrafted rookies who signed: quarterback Wilton Speight; wide receivers Malik Henry and Shawn Poindexter; safeties Demetrius Flanniigan-Fowles and Cameron Glenn; defensive linemen Jamell Garcia-Williams and Kevin Givens; linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair; tight end Tyree Manfield; and, guard Ross Reynolds.
— Top plays included a catch by Manfield, a pass breakup by Harris and an interception by Hayes Pullard.
— Among the 40 players trying out are Cal linebacker Alex Finches, Stanford center Jesse Burkett and cornerback Alameen Murphy, San Jose State fullback Shane Smith and Cal Poly fullback Joe Protheroe.
