A lot of you have been asking me for more details from today’s rookie practice – especially, who stood out from the pack.
To be honest, there wasn’t much opportunity to stand out. After position drills, the 49ers went through one session of 7-on-7 and one team period. Then they turned to conditioning and got the rookies running.
That said, I’ll make a few tepid nomination:
• RB Anthony Dixon: Of all the positions on the field, running back might be hardest to evaluate in non-contact drills. These guys make their living slipping tackles. When the defenders aren’t allowed to tackle, you have no idea of a runner’s true elusiveness. But there is no denying Dixon’s foot speed. On a couple occasions, he started left, then made a nimble-looking little stutter-step to cut back. Pretty impressive for a man his size. And this is a tiny thing, but I watched running backs coach Tom Rathman putting his charges through their paces, and at one point he corrected Dixon on a drag route, telling him to keep moving parallel to the line of scrimmage just a few yards downfield, but not at full speed. Dixon ran it again, and it looked perfect.
• WR Jared Perry: He’s an undrafted free agent from Missouri, and is pretty lean at 6-1, 177. Perry didn’t make any spectacular catches, but I saw him get open and snag balls a couple times. A good start.
And really, that’s about it for now. I plan to focus more on the line of scrimmage tomorrow. Tune in.
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