Two San Francisco 49ers rookies cracked Pro Football Focus’ all-rookie team for the opening weekend of the preseason, and wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling wasn’t among them despite a busy statistical debut.
The 49ers’ honorees were offensive tackle Carver Willis and interior defensive lineman Bryson Eason.
Willis, a fourth-round pick who can line up both inside and outside on the offensive line, stood out for his work in the run game. He earned a 90.1 PFF run-blocking grade in his preseason debut. The pass protection wasn’t spotless - he gave up three hurries on 23 pass-blocking snaps - but the run-blocking performance was strong enough to land him among PFF’s top rookie tackles with the Rams’ Austin Blaske.
Eason, an undrafted free agent on San Francisco’s interior defensive line, didn’t post eye-catching numbers, but he also didn’t put any negatively graded plays on film in his first outing. That was enough for a 77.3 grade. PFF also pointed out that another 49ers rookie, Gracen Halton, impressed with a 73.7 overall grade, though there was only room for two interior defenders on the list.
The selections also underline just how much young talent is pushing for jobs on the 49ers’ roster this summer. PFF’s Team of the Week came from a large rookie field - teams averaged more than six rookies on the field per snap in the preseason opener - and only players who logged at least 15 snaps were eligible.
Stribling, meanwhile, was productive in a different way. He caught seven of eight targets for 63 yards, giving him more receptions and more targets than either Cowboys receiver Camden Brown or Giants receiver Malachi Fields, both of whom made PFF’s receiver list.
But the production was built more on volume than splash. Stribling averaged just 9.0 yards per catch, had a long of 32 and finished with only 12 yards after the catch. Brown and Fields each found the end zone, while Steelers receiver Kaden Wetjen made the list by turning two catches into 79 yards, including a 74-yard gain, for a 39.5-yard average.
In the end, the message from the opener was pretty clear: Willis flashed versatility, Eason handled his business against the run, and Stribling showed he can command targets even if the big-play grade didn’t follow. All three gave San Francisco’s staff useful early information ahead of final cuts.
In Other News...
49ers Just Added An Awkward New Twist To The Melbourne Showdown
The 49ers trip to Melbourne already had plenty of intrigue, and Jack Bouwmeesters path through it adds another layer. San Francisco brought in the Australian punter as part of its preseason competition, but the team moved on before camp broke and kept Corliss Waitman in place as the punter while sorting through roster needs and injuries elsewhere.
Bouwmeester did not stay on the market long, landing with the Rams through the international player exemption. It gives Los Angeles a chance to keep him around without using one of its 90 roster spots, and it also leaves a familiar wrinkle for the 49ers, who may end up seeing the specialist they waived in the very setting that helped bring him into the NFL conversation. [Read more 🡒]
George Kittles Recovery Has 49ers Fans Rethinking The Opener
George Kittles recovery has become one of the more intriguing developments around 49ers training camp, because it is no longer just about how he looks in drills, but when he might actually be back in the lineup. The tight end is rehabbing the Achilles injury he suffered in last seasons playoffs, and the early signs have been encouraging enough that NFL Networks Ian Rapoport watched Kittle work out and came away with the sense that the timeline is moving in the right direction.
For San Francisco, any progress with Kittle matters because of what he means to the offense and because injuries of this kind usually take longer to work through. He is already seven months into the recovery process, which has put him ahead of the usual pace, and that is enough to make the opener feel a little less certain than it did a few weeks ago. The 49ers still have time to sort out how aggressive they want to be, but the possibility of having Kittle involved early changes the conversation around Week 1 in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]
Christian McCaffrey Has 49ers Fans Feeling Familiar Preseason Anxiety
Christian McCaffreys preseason has once again turned into a waiting game, and for 49ers fans, that is usually enough to stir up nerves before the games even count. The running back has not been practicing during the 2026 preseason because of an unspecified injury, leaving his status for the regular season unsettled as the team works through the usual questions that come with one of the leagues most dynamic, and heavily used, players.
There is always some hope this is simply the 49ers being careful with a star they want available when it matters most, especially given McCaffreys injury history and the pounding he has taken in recent seasons. But until he is back on the field, the uncertainty hangs over everything, with fans and observers left to wonder whether this is routine maintenance or something more concerning. [Read more 🡒]