Finally, after an offseason that felt like an eternity filled with drama about a certain Wide Receiver, Preseason football is here. Even though the San Francisco 49ers lost against the Tennessee Titans in the opening week of the Preseason not all is bad as some players stood out above the rest with their time out on the Gridiron. Here is who stood out against the Tennessee Titans.
Running Back, Jordan Mason: Despite only being on the field for the opening drive Mason made every carry count as he accumulated 34 yards on 6 carries and a Touchdown to finish his day. We are almost guaranteed to see him get a bigger workload during the season.
Quarterbacks, Brandon Allen and Josh Dobbs: The Niners had two Quarterbacks play this game. Each one had their half of the game to prove that they deserve the backup spot to Brock Purdy and both are making it a tight competition for said spot. Allen went 7-13 with multiple nice deep throws, he would’ve had a more impressive day if 2 of his deep throw attempts weren’t dropped by Wide Receivers Ronnie Bell and Tay Martin. In the other half of the game, Josh Dobbs went 14-20 with an Interception and had an impressive play where he evaded a would-be sack and turned it into a rushing touchdown. Based on the eye test and stats, it seems that Dobbs is leading the race.
Right Guard, Dominick Puni: The third-rounder out of Kansas had an impressive debut and looked like the best player on the Offensive Line that started the game. On 14 pass-blocking attempts, he had a clean sheet (0 pressures, 0 sacks) and looked good in the run game. Don’t be surprised to see him start week 1.
Right Guard, Jarrett Kingston: Another rookie Right Gaurd making a great first impression. Kingston had a clean sheet on 21 pass-blocking attempts. Although he might not start he will be an important depth piece due to his versatility.
Safety, Malik Mustapha: The player that made the most explosive plays was Malik Mustapha. The safety out of Wake Forest made an impact for San Francisco on defense with 2 key plays those plays were stuff on 4th down near the goalline and an impressive tackle on a kickoff when most of the special teams looked lost on the new “Dynamic Kickoff”. He played the way San Francisco loves to play and that is physical.
Defensive Tackle, Kalia Davis: Before the news about his knee injury, Davis looked far better than anyone on the defensive line, as he constantly beat blocks with his quickness and strength. He had 1 sack on the day and 2 TFLs (Tackle for loss). His film looks better than the stats. Kalia Davis is set to miss half the season, however when he comes back
Linebacker, Tatum Bethune: The last player that stood out was Linebacker; Tatum Bethune. He constantly made tackle after tackle leading the team with 8, however 5 of those were solo tackles. Bethune made 2 superstar plays, a stop on third down which led to a turnover on down, and a TFL in the 4th quarter.
