The 49ers had a few names surface in Jeremy Fowler’s latest league-wide rankings, and the list painted a familiar picture: San Francisco still has stars at all three levels.
Brock Purdy landed as an honorable mention among quarterbacks, with one anonymous NFC executive pointing to the traits that keep him in the conversation. “He has got two superpowers.
Layering the ball and short-area quickness to stay alive. He’s elite in those two areas.”
Nick Bosa also showed up on Fowler’s edge rusher list, and the praise was as direct as it gets. “He’s got the best speed-to-power move in the NFL,” an NFL personnel evaluator said. “He gets offensive tackles on their heels, and he pushes right through them.”
At receiver, Mike Evans was included as an honorable mention, with one NFC scout noting both the decline and the staying power. “He’s declining, but he’s sort of timeless, still big and athletic and gets open. Will be interesting to see how [49ers head coach] Kyle Shanahan utilizes him in different ways,” the scout said.
And Fred Warner picked up another major nod, this time from a poll of coaches and executives that named him the league’s top off-ball linebacker. One NFL coordinator put it plainly: “He diagnoses faster than anyone,” an NFL coordinator said.
“That’s really his secret sauce. Processes the game at an incredibly fast level.”
In Los Angeles, the Aaron Donald comeback conversation is still alive as training camp approaches. Sean McVay addressed the possibility on The Daily Flock podcast and said Donald is working through his own process while moving “full speed ahead.”
“I have crossed paths with Aaron Donald,” McVay said. “What’s special is, we have a really special relationship.
It’s way bigger than football. I’ve heard him say it before and it means the world to me - and I feel the same - it’s family with us.
He’s done so much for me. I love the man he is.
I love the husband, the father, the son - he represents a lot of the things that are right. And what he’s going to do is, he is thinking about this.
He’s going to go through his process. And the one thing about Aaron Donald is, what he does, he does it full speed ahead.”
Seattle’s backfield is taking shape around first-round pick Jadarian Price, and Mike Macdonald made it clear the rookie won’t be waiting around for a defined lane. With Kenneth Walker gone in free agency and Zach Charbonnet coming back from a torn ACL, Price is set to be used right away in the Seahawks’ wide-zone game, while also getting work in gap schemes and the passing game as the season unfolds.
“We’re going to run wide zone and he’s going to run wide zone,” Macdonald said, via the team’s website. “We’re going to run some gap scheme.
He’s going to run some of that too and then the pass game he can come alive, too. I think that’s part of our offense in general, that we can take another step in including our halfbacks in the pass game.
Then, he’s a great special teams player as well. The kick return stuff, we’ll see how it shakes out in other phases, but he’s going to come in and compete with the rest of the guys.”
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Irvins death comes after a difficult stretch in later life, when he dealt with multiple health problems, including lymphoma, Parkinsons disease, dementia, hypertension and prostate cancer. He was pronounced dead early on July 2 at a San Diego hospital, a sobering reminder of how much ground has been covered since his days patrolling the Rams secondary. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Camp Is Already Hinting At One Big Roster Truth
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Cam Lampkin has been one of the names worth watching early, giving the Rams another potential answer behind those established corners if his momentum holds. There has also been encouraging early buzz around the pass rush, with Myles Garrett showing the kind of burst that jumps out in camp, and Blake Corum remains positioned to be a significant part of the offense after last seasons strong showing. [Read more 🡒]
Rams May Have Found Another Harrison Mevis Type After Camp Scare
After a camp scare at safety, the Rams moved quickly to add Alex Cook, a veteran defensive back with NFL experience and a recent run in the UFL with Birmingham. Cook already has a little bit of everything on his rsum, from time with Carolina to a stop in New York and Chicago, and he arrives in Los Angeles with a chance to help stabilize a spot that needed another body.
What makes Cook interesting is that the Rams are not just looking at him as emergency depth. They see a player who could fit into training camp competition and potentially help on special teams, where speed and reliability matter just as much as pedigree. With the roster still taking shape, Cook now has a real opening to turn a short-term signing into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]