Baldinger breaks down why 49ers should feel excited about 2 rookies
The San Francisco 49ers had some of their rookie crop show out in their second preseason game. It was ugly for Brock Purdy and the so-called “starters,” but there were bright spots.
Brian Baldinger joined the Morning Roast after the 49ers-Saints matchup to discuss the game and shouted out two of the 49ers’ rookie draft picks.
First, the former offensive lineman shouted out one of his own: Dominick Puni. Baldinger said he’s an immediate right guard upgrade for the 49ers.
“You got to find starters in the third and fourth round on your offensive line,” Baldinger said. “He played over 40 snaps the other day, and a lot of them were against first-team New Orleans Saints. I mean, Brian Bresee is a first-round pick.
“There's two games now, I haven't really seen a bad play. The guy, he knows how to cover people up. His feet move. He's got good length, he's got great size, and he's got good power, and he takes good angles in the run game. You got to block the second level if you're going to have a successful rushing attack or running play. And he can do that. I can't find a bad play. Maybe on some traps, he could take better angles… but regardless. I mean, he looks like he belongs. He handles the stunts inside well. He covers guys up. I love his size and I love his power and just the consistency that I've seen from him…
“I know they got to upgrade the right guard position. I think he upgrades it right now.”
The other player Baldinger loved was the rookie corner Renardo Green. The second-round pick got a few looks at star receiver Chris Olave, and Baldinger saw him hold his own.
“He's going up against an elite player the other day in Chris Olave going up against Derek Carr,” Baldinger said. “He's going up there up against their number one offense. He made a great play on third down, defended the pass on the sideline, I mean, exactly what you want to see. It's one-on-one coverage. It's their best receiver against your rookie corner, and he wins.
“Now Olave beat him on a dig route over the middle on a little post-dig combination, but he was right there. I mean, he was where he's supposed to be. He's in his upfield shoulder. He tackles the catch….
“His foot speed, his break on the ball, all that stuff showed up the other day. I mean, you saw the whole sideline explode on that third-and-seven play where he made the play on Olave. I saw guys jumping off the sideline to go congratulate the kid. So you can tell that, you know, they're behind them. They're watching… I thought he showed up big the other day."
Listen to full interview above.
