Halfway through July, the 49ers are still in the sport’s quietest stretch, but there’s no shortage of buzz around the roster once training camp gets close.
One of the loudest endorsements came from fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who came away impressed by Mike Evans and a pair of rookies. On Evans, Juszczyk didn’t hold back about what he saw in practice.
“The expectations we had for Mike were already high … he’s a Hall of Famer … and he blew us all away,” Juszczyk said. “He was unguardable in practice, especially in the red zone. And he fits in so well.”
Juszczyk also said the rookies, Stribling and Black, both have a real chance to help this season. Stribling, in particular, has already started building a connection with the veteran. The 49ers gave him the locker next to Juszczyk’s, and the two have talked about Stribling’s military background - his father was in the Marines - along with his habit of getting his jersey dirty on the field.
There was also praise from Robert Saleh, who pointed to Alfred as last season’s biggest rookie surprise.
“Alfred, I know he was a second-round pick and all, but he’s still probably the biggest surprise to me in terms of just how much better he got from training camp, and as the season went on,” Saleh said. “I really think he’s going to be special.
His mindset to get better, his work ethic, he’s only going to get better. And when it triggers for him, he’s going to be a bear to stop.”
And among the undrafted names trying to force their way onto the roster, Worth III stands out for his raw athletic profile. He’s listed at 6’2”, 226 pounds and ran a 4.66 40-yard dash. The speed may not jump off the page, but the explosion does: a 37.5” vertical and an 11-foot-2-inch broad jump, which would have tied Sonny Styles for the longest at the NFL Combine at his position.
The case for Worth III goes beyond the numbers. He’s described as a positionless player who can handle multiple jobs, and at minimum he could help on special teams by covering kicks and work on scout team in practice.
With more time, he could grow into a sub-package role for a defense built around speed. He also played on a poor college defense, which likely kept his skill set from getting the attention it deserved.
The 49ers, the reporting suggests, would be smart to use him in different ways rather than let that kind of athlete slip away.
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