Matt Barrows

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Matt Barrows

School's out for summer. The San Francisco 49ers have wrapped up their spring semester and won't reassemble until training camp starts at the end of July. What did we learn about a roster that had its most significant upheaval since 2017?: That some rookies and young players have positioned themselves for big roles, and there are still a few significant holes heading into the summer. Thanks for all your questions, which were culled from X, Bluesky and the comments section.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Matt Barrows

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Two years ago, receiver Brandon Aiyuk jumped out during the San Francisco 49ers' spring practices, then followed that with a career-best 1,342 receiving yards. Last year, the spring standout was cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who also parlayed that into a career-best performance and a five-year, $92 million contract extension. So which 49ers looked good in this year's spring sessions, which wrapped up Wednesday? First, a caveat: OTAs and minicamps aren't "true" football.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Matt Barrows

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Kyle Shanahan says the same thing every June: He's tempted to end the San Francisco 49ers' mandatory minicamp early but can't quite follow through with that impulse. "There's 20 guys out there who still really need this week and then there's 60 guys who - they're just trying to get through this and let's not get them injured," he said Tuesday.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Matt Barrows

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Kris Kocurek had a rare shutout last year. The San Francisco 49ers didn't use any of their eight draft picks on a defensive lineman, compelling Kocurek to go all-in for free agent Evan Anderson once the draft ended. This year was different. Three of the team's first five picks were defensive linemen, and the 49ers put a cherry on top of Kocurek's haul last week when they traded for pass-rush specialist Bryce Huff.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Matt Barrows

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - A rookie quarterback who's a fast learner, quick processor and who led his team to the playoffs in his initial NFL season? The 49ers, of course, had that experience with Brock Purdy in 2022. His backup, Mac Jones, had a similar start with the New England Patriots a year earlier. Jones, the 15th draft pick that season, completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards and a 92.5 passer rating, all of them career highs.