Nick WagonerESPN staff writerJuly 3, 2023 at 6:00 am ET6 minutes reading

Cameron Latu’s best highlights on his move to the 49ers

Find out why the San Francisco 49ers selected Cameron Latu in the third round of the NFL draft.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For the past six years, the San Francisco 49ers have spoken frequently about making significant moves at the tight end to complement George Kittle.

Despite flirting — they were in the process of signing Austin Hooper before he landed with the Cleveland Browns in 2020 — the Niners never invested in anything more than low-cost free agents or late-round picks at the position.

Since Kittle joined the league in 2017, the list of the Niners’ other tight ends reads like a who’s who from Who’s That? The 11 other tight ends who played offensive snaps for the Niners during this period include Logan Paulsen, Daniel Helm, Levine Toilolo and two Coles (Wick and Hikutini).

Those 11 tight ends have played 3,411 total snaps across 220 games, averaging 15.5 offensive snaps per game. The non-kittle tight ends have rushed for 1,333 yards on 111 receptions and 15 touchdowns.

Kittle, meanwhile, has played 4,264 offensive snaps in 82 games, averaging 52 per game. He has 5,254 receiving yards on 395 catches and 31 touchdowns. Suffice to say, the idea of ​​giving Kittle a little breather was easier said than done.

“It’s not like we want to take George’s plays because he’s one of the best players in the league and you want him out there, especially at critical moments,” said tight ends coach Brian Fleury. “But we also want the ability to function at a high level in case he potentially breaks his chin strap and has to be out for a couple of games.”

To that end, the 49ers finally put some more action behind their words in the April NFL draft, picking Alabama tight end Cameron Latu (No. 101 overall) and Oklahoma tight end Brayden Willis in the third round seventh round (No. 247 overall). . The goal isn’t to get Kittle off the field too much, but to choose places where he can find extra rest and have reliable options versatile enough to do anything when Kittle isn’t available.

Therein lies the Kittle riddle. His aggressive style seems injury-prone (he’s missed 16 games in five seasons through injury but only played fewer than 14 games once), but it’s also the thing that has made him one of the most prolific tight ends in the league in his history first six seasons.

“It’s just the reality of the game we’re playing and the style in which he’s playing it,” Fleury said.

The dilemma is that Kittle is equally effective as both a pass catcher and blocker, leaving defenses in the dark when he’s on the field. Easier said than done is finding tight ends who aren’t specialists who could give the defense a clue as to what’s to come.

“It’s the luxury we have on the field with George,” Fleury said. “We’re unpredictable when it comes to how we use the tight end. Many other teams don’t have that luxury. And if we don’t have George on the field, we need to have him.” aware, “Are we creating tendencies with one tight end against another?” So it’s up to us to balance those issues. It is a challenge and we are aware of it.”

George Kittle had a career-best 11 touchdown passes last year, including seven in his last four games.Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire

In 2022, Kittle had 60 catches for 765 yards but set a career-high with 11 touchdown catches in 15 games. Kittle has been particularly effective at finding the end zone after Brock Purdy took over as quarterback, catching seven touchdown passes over the past four weeks.

Perhaps more importantly, Kittle says he finished the season healthier than he’s been in years. Kittle didn’t have to worry about sore ankles, hamstring injuries or other injuries and was able to approach his off-season in a way that allowed him to work on improvement rather than rehab. As two areas of focus, Kittle points to getting in and out of breaks faster on his routes and improving his catch radius.

“It just allowed me to work the way I wanted to earlier in the offseason,” Kittle said. “Actually, I was able to lay a good foundation… The ability to get on the field, run good distances, catch the ball and not miss anything, it’s just a lot more fun to be on the football field than on the field .” the side watching.

That hasn’t stopped Kittle from keeping an eye on the Niners’ new tight end signings, however. Kittle is one of the founders of Tight End University, a now annual gathering of NFL tight ends to train together and share tips on how to play at the position. Both of the Niners’ newcomers are invited and quickly joined Kittle, showering him with questions and watching intently as he does reps in practice.

Perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering Latu and Willis named Kittle as one of the players they hoped to emulate on the pitch.

“We saw a lot of George Kittle,” Willis said. “He does so many things that we do on offense, like the same schemes that we do in terms of gap, zone, outer zone, inner zone, counterattack and all sorts of things. … He’s a willing blocker, great pass.” -Catcher, great athlete, guy who can do anything. We look at him as a pawn, a guy who can move, a guy who can do a lot of things and pay the other team to do it, and that’s how I see him myself. I look forward to learning from him. He’s one of the best in the business and I can’t think of a better mentor for me and my style of play.”

Latu and Willis have to earn their chances. Both have a reputation for being willing blockers, but need more tweaking when it comes to passing. And they’ll still have competition from veterans like Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley making the roster. Whoever makes it will work behind Kittle, and the Niners will find other ways to keep Kittle fresh, such as not assigning him certain blocks or giving him breaks during season training.

“If you’re thinking of how to complement the rest of the space, just look for a combination of all of those skills in those behind George,” Fleury said. “It’s up to us to determine who is in the game at what point. So if George isn’t there, we have to make sure we make the best of it.”

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It’s hard to find many good things about the 49ers’ offseason. Not that it’s been a bad few months for them, they just haven’t made any major moves aside from the addition of defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. Instead, the focus on San Francisco since the season ended in January has been the lack of clarity under the middle. They didn’t do much in the draft either, in part because they lacked quality draft capital.

While the 49ers haven’t had great news during the offseason, they’re still one of the top three favorites to win the Super Bowl, according to ESPN analysis guru Seth Walder.

Walder published an article on ESPN with the network’s Football Power Index rankings for 2023. Here is his statement on the FPI:

For the uninitiated, the Football Power Index — commonly referred to as the FPI — is our NFL team scoring and forecasting model. In preseason, the model’s prediction ratings are largely based on Caesars Sportsbook’s overall win count and fixture strength, as well as factors such as past team performance and returning starters. We use team ratings to simulate the season thousands of times, creating our predictions that are updated every day throughout the season. Game predictions are also affected by factors such as travel, rest differences, and changes in starting quarterback.

Despite San Francisco’s tough schedule, poor break differential and lack of security under middle, FPI still ranks them 5th overall behind the Eagles, Chiefs, Bills and Bengals.

That speaks to the overall quality of their squad and coaching staff, so it’s safe to assume they’ll overcome such huge hurdles.

While they rank 5th in the FPI, ESPN’s analysis actually gives them the third best chance of winning the Super Bowl. The 49ers have an 11 percent chance, just behind the Chiefs (13 percent) and Eagles (14 percent). These are the only three teams with a 10 percent or better chance of winning the Lombardi Cup at the end of the 2023 season.

The 49ers and Eagles are the only NFC teams in the top five. The Cowboys are at seven percent, the Lions are behind at four percent. Of 12 teams with a three percent chance or better, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas and Detroit are the only representatives from the NFC.

There’s no denying that the 49ers’ road back to the Super Bowl won’t be easy. Their schedule is brutal and the #1 team at the FPI, Philadelphia, will stand in their way.

Philly aside, however, there aren’t many serious threats in the NFC earlier in the year, so the 49ers are still considered favorites to run deep. If they can sort out their QB situation and Hargrave makes the contribution the team is hoping for, San Francisco’s relatively slow offseason will soon be forgotten.

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Nick WagonerESPN staff writerMay 17, 2023 6:00 am ET6 minutes reading

Why the Eagles aren’t the favorite in the NFC

Dan Graziano explains why the 49ers are the betting favorite over the 49ers.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After another turbulent offseason filled with the usual staples like quarterback woes and injury updates, the San Francisco 49ers finally return to the field Monday for the NFL’s May bid, the one closest to actual training.

And while the answers to many of their remaining questions won’t be available for months, the Niners can start gathering more information before training camp begins in late July.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the most pressing issues facing the 49ers in opening organized team activities.

Who is in the middle?

No serious list of the 49ers’ problems can begin without discussing the quarterback. They believe that in Brock Purdy they have their quarterback for the short and long term, but they won’t have him for OTAs as he continues to recover from ulnar collateral ligament surgery in his right (throwing) elbow. Purdy appears to be on the right track and is expected to begin a throwing program in early June that will give the Niners a better idea of ​​the timeline for their return.

The Niners now have three signalers – Trey Lance, Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen – under contract. Coach Kyle Shanahan has said that Lance and Darnold will get first-team substitutes in the offseason program. That’s not necessarily indicative of a pecking order, but the 49ers want to create as much competition as possible between this duo rather than just reinstate Lance as a starter while Purdy recovers.

“We’re coming to training camp,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully we’ll get Brock back soon… You never know how much we’ll end up doing in the OTA sessions, but it’s been good to have two guys out there throwing.”

This offseason is crucial for Trey Lance, especially with suspected starting quarterback Brock Purdy out for OTAs Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire

This is a particularly important off-season for Lance, who has been fully healed of the fractured right ankle he sustained in Week 2 last season and is even further away from the broken bone in his right index finger that slowed his development as a rookie . Despite ongoing trade speculation, general manager John Lynch has stated that he believes Lance will be a 49er in 2023. If that’s the case, it’s up to Lance to determine what his role will be while Darnold adjusts to a new offense.

“Trey knows exactly what the situation is,” Lynch said. “His mindset is all about competition and I think that’s exactly what his mindset should be. We’re thrilled with the position he’s put himself in with the work he’s put in this offseason to No. 1 get healthy, No. 2 get better over some things he was dying to improve on … We are thrilled with Trey’s ability to apply for a job.”

When does Nick Bosa get his big payday?

As usual, Bosa has spent his off-season in Florida training with his brother Joey. That’s nothing to worry about as this has been Bosa’s MO for years. However, Bosa is the next candidate for a market-defining contract extension for a defender.

The Niners and Bosa have said throughout that they will be patient when it comes to closing a deal. Recent precedent would indicate that there is not much to worry about. In recent years, the Niners worked their way through their offseason business before turning their attention to big-money renewal. And all of that — tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner, and receiver Deebo Samuel — were completed either right before training camp or shortly after it opened.

A deal for Bosa is expected to materialize in the same window as the others, if not a little sooner.

“I’ve said many times that this is a priority for this offseason,” Lynch said. “History shows that we have a really good track record of doing and making this happen. I look forward to working on it when the time comes.”

Will there be more squad changes?

Earlier this offseason, the 49ers implemented simple contract reshuffles at cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Warner to provide the necessary salary cap headroom for entry into free agency. Then, just before the NFL draft, they made another game with running back Christian McCaffrey, opening up $8.576 million in additional space. The move prompted some to question whether they were preparing to move for another veteran in an emergency situation.

According to Lynch, the primary reason for the move was to make room for the team’s rookie class signing, but he also kept an option open to look around.

“It just gives us some space,” Lynch said. “We will see. We will never stop looking for players who can help and it’s just that a lot of spots are filled and where they aren’t we will fill them up when needed.”

The Niners have a full 90-man roster going into the OTAs but will likely create even more space as they lengthen Bosa, meaning they have some flexibility in adding experienced offensive line help, want to look at Edge Rusher or elsewhere. Even when nothing is imminent, OTAs offer Shanahan and Lynch an opportunity to assess what they have and act accordingly when they feel more is needed.

What will the offensive line look like?

The 49ers are returning four of their five starting offensive players from last season but must replace powerful right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who signed a five-year, $87.5 million deal with the Denver Broncos in March. After refusing to invest free-agent money or significant draft resources in the position, they made it clear they believe McGlinchey’s replacement in the form of swing tackle Colton McKivitz is already on the roster.

McKivitz has only started five games since the Niners drafted him in the fifth round in 2020, but they believed in him enough to sign him on a two-year, $4.56 million extension this offseason.

“You can win with Colton,” Shanahan said. “He’s been here a while. When he played, we won games with him… I understand not everyone else knows that much about them because they haven’t seen them, but I mean that’s what we wanted to do.” I’m hoping to create a draft in hoping to find depth and find some competition, but to go into that draft thinking you’re going to find someone starting over from someone like Colton or as good as Colton can and was would be very unusual . “

The Niners’ hope is that McKivitz can follow the path of center Jake Brendel, a relatively unknown player who took the starting center job in 2022 despite much outside consternation and played well enough to earn a four-year, $16.5million contract in March to receive US dollars.

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Nick WagonerESPN AuthorMay 9, 2023 6:00 am ET5 minutes read

Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel’s combined cap count is set to increase by just over $30 million next season as part of their current deals. Michael Owens/Getty Images

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch sold DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in 2020, he described it as the toughest decision he’d made since taking the job three years earlier .

Similar difficult scenarios have surfaced since, most recently with proper tackle Mike McGlinchey, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 draft. McGlinchey wanted to stay in San Francisco and the Niners wanted to keep him, but well before McGlinchey signed a five-year, 87.5 contract in March million dollars signed with the Denver Broncos, it was clear the teams were headed for a breakup.

At the heart of these decisions were the either-or choices between great players that most teams would love to have. In 2020, that meant Buckner was out as his defenseman Arik Armstead stayed on. This year, it was McGlinchey on the move because Williams signed a contract in 2021 that made him the highest-paid offensive tackle in the game. To a lesser extent, the 49ers opted to re-sign linebacker Dre Greenlaw rather than retain Azeez Al-Shaair.

All of this sets the table for what could be San Francisco’s next big contract dilemma: what to do with receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Given that Samuel signed a three-year, $71.55 million extension in August, it seems too early to discuss. But with Aiyuk eligible for an extension and coming off a season in which he, not Samuel or Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle, picked up the team, he’s well on his way to a big payday.

“That’s a good question,” Lynch said. “That’s a valid question because I understand the mindset. You can’t keep them all.”

That mindset, combined with the 49ers getting calls from teams interested in acquiring Aiyuk, was enough to make people wonder if the Niners could actually move him this year. The rumor mill worked so hard during draft week that Aiyuk, the #25 pick in the 2020 draft, had moments of doubt. On April 28, Aiyuk tweeted that he received a call from his agent who was “just chatting” but was worried it might be the call that was delivered to him.

While Lynch and Shanahan insist they will listen to everyone – they joke they’ll swap if the offer is good enough – they never planned on doing anything other than keeping Aiyuk for 2023.

The Niners kept Aiyuk and picked up his fifth-year rookie option before the May 1 deadline, which guarantees him a base salary of $14.124 million for the 2024 season if he doesn’t sign a renewal by then. Therein lies the predicament of the 49ers. Traditionally, they prefer not to sign first-round picks for an overtime until after their fourth season. That will happen later this summer with Nick Bosa, who is likely to become the league’s highest-paid defender once his deal is finalized.

If Aiyuk can build on the 78 catches, 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns he clinched in 2022, there’s a fair argument that he’s not only San Francisco’s best straight pass catcher, but also one of the league’s burgeoning receivers. With the cost of top wideouts rising, the Niners would theoretically have to choose between Samuel and Aiyuk.

That could happen eventually, but there’s also a way for the Niners to delay that decision for at least another year while they continue chasing their elusive sixth Lombardi trophy. Samuel’s salary cap for 2023 is an affordable $8.65 million, while Aiyuk’s is a little under $4 million. Their total increases from $12.65 million to a whopping $42,696,000 in 2024.

But under normal circumstances, most first-round picks who sign a lucrative long-term deal will have a more manageable first-year salary cap than if they had played with the fifth-year option. Samuel’s cap in 2022 after signing his renewal was $6.88 million and won’t drastically increase until 2024 ($28.5 million). That’s still a significant investment. But it’s not outrageous to think that the Niners could keep Samuel and Aiyuk together for a few more seasons by structuring an Aiyuk overtime to limit his short-term cap hits.

Regardless, the Niners view Aiyuk differently than players like Buckner and McGlinchey, largely due to their development as a franchise. The Niners made some of their earlier decisions to try to extend their Super Bowl window as long as possible. Your current choices are made to jump through this window before it closes.

“We’re trying to do something special this year and Brandon will be a big part of that and beyond,” Lynch said. “You always have to think a few years, but we’re really excited for Brandon. I feel like he took another big step last year and I think the best is yet to come and that’s why we want him to be a part of it.

“Right now and in the future, we’re really excited about Brandon Aiyuk and where he is as a professional.”

Another major factor in how this might play out: the Niners’ belief in quarterback Brock Purdy. Purdy is expected to return to the starting role this season and beyond once he recovers from right elbow surgery. Purdy is not eligible for a contract extension until after the 2024 season and has cap hits of $889,253 and $1,004,253 in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

That bargain price coincides with massive cap jumps for Kittle, Williams, and linebacker Fred Warner. It also goes a long way in helping the Niners afford to keep their core for at least two more seasons and sign high-profile free agent defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. And if Purdy delivers and earns a lucrative deal of its own, San Francisco has even more onerous decisions to make.

“That was the whole goal,” Shanahan said. “If we could get a quarterback on a rookie deal to play at a high, high, high enough level that we thought we could win with that, then we thought we could build our team.”

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Few people have a better pulse in the NFL or a stronger attitude toward the state of the league than ESPN’s Ryan Clark.

Clark played 13 seasons in safety in the NFL and has stayed in league circles since retiring as an analyst for ESPN, appearing on shows such as NFL Live, First Take and SportsCenter. But Clark’s new appearance against the Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry didn’t come from a television appearance.

While stopping by on 104.5 The Zone on Friday morning at Ramon, Kayla and Will, Clark explained to Will Boling and Ramon Foster why he thinks the Titans are in a difficult position with Derrick Henry when it comes to running back and why himself removed the NFL from appreciating the type of player that Henry is.

Clark believed the Titans should get Henry back on the roster for 2023 but believes Henry’s return must come with an understanding that he cannot bring you a championship alone and that his style of play could soon be old-fashioned.

“Does its productivity create championships and lead to victories?”, said Clark. “If you’re looking from the outside at the San Francisco 49ers, who had a ridiculous record when they took over Christian McCaffery, don’t you want that guy? If you look at what Tony Pollard can do for a crime, don’t you want this guy?

“Don’t get me wrong, I think Derrick Henry has been so successful because he’s different in some ways, but how many times have the Tennessee Titans gone down in a game or how many times have you finished third and now you don’t need Derrick Henry ?”, Clark continued.

Clark continued that, much like McCaffrey and Pollard, the running backs continue to give teams the passing flexibility they desire. The league is a passing league, and running backs who are dynamic, bring value to the pass and also bring 1,200 rushing yards are the next generation of talent in the NFL. The tough downhill runners can stay behind.

It’s a hard pill to swallow, but ultimately he’s right.

Henry is still a generational talent. He’s one of the best running backs the world has ever seen. There has never been another player like him and there probably never will be again. But the current playstyle that the Titans’ offense is adopting is not a winning style. The most successful running games in today’s league have more than one running back committed. Your running backs expand the field with the outside zone, line up in the slot, and are prolific as both pass catchers and pass blockers.

Today Henry is still the best downhill power runner in the NFL, but unless he’s complemented by an exceptional pass blocker with lateral agility, Tennessee’s offense can be boxed fairly easily.

The Titans will have to reflect on some of the same questions Clark asked this offseason as GM Ran Carthon, who has seen success in San Francisco firsthand, tries to navigate a challenging offseason full of decisions.

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

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There are still a few significant offseason moves for the 49ers, with most of the free hand being canceled and the NFL draft released in late April. Their roster could look significantly different if the dust settles by Week 1, but they are in a pretty good spot on the post-free agency power rankings published by ESPN.

San Francisco with the free agency was mostly in 13th place, four places less than in the much too early ESPN rankings earlier this season.

It’s difficult to add the 49ers to the NFL hierarchy considering how their last two seasons have gone. Their roster looks much the same as last year, when injuries to a number of key players derailed their NFC championship defenses throughout the season. There is an argument that their offense looks better than they did when they went to the Super Bowl in 2019, while their defense may struggle to reach the elite level they reached that same season.

However, given a clean health status, before drafting, their list looks like it could pass in the NFC. The biggest question mark, however, is in the middle, which pushes them out of the top 8 areas and keeps them from being a consensus Super Bowl contender.

The draft has yet to be messed up, and depending on Jimmy Garoppolo’s future, the 49ers could move up or down a few spots at the start of the season. The good news is that if things change in 2021 they are able to win anything, but the bigger story will be their future with the quarterback and how that player will help them win championships in the years to come .

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