The preseason is over. Now the 49ers’ attention turns firmly – or mostly – to the New York Jets. Here’s who showed out and who didn’t in the preseason finale Friday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
STUDS
Jordan Mason
Mason ran like an absolute tank. He was good for seemingly six or nine yards every single time he touched the ball. The offensive line has to be given credit for that, too. But Mason looked right at home, regardless of circumstance. He was a brutal assignment to tackle. When Brock Purdy had a broken play and found Mason in the flat, Mason cut hard and made a man miss. He was stellar, running eight times for 42 yards and a touchdown and that one catch for seven.
Brock Purdy
Purdy looked stellar. He had one interception off a drop/deflection off the hands of Deebo Samuel, who didn’t quite look like he was playing like the season depended on it. Purdy’s pocket presence is absurd. In combination with his legs, he flashed that vintage Russel Wilson magicianry multiple times on the night with scrambles, absurd completions to Samuel and George Kittle, and the general buying of time that did not exist. He probably shouldn’t have made the tackle on that interception return, but he’s a *coach voice* football player.
Kick + punt returning
Listen, the special teams coverage is one thing. But the return units? That had a lot to like. Jacob Cowing looks like an absolute natural returning punts, and seems to consistently break off quality returns. Isaac Guerendo also flashed that promise of being the best kick return option for the 49ers on a 93-yarder. He just ran out of gas at the end, but Patrick Taylor Jr. punched it in a few years later.
Sebastian Gutierrez
Listen, I won’t pretend I was locked in on Gutierrez, number 60, until the final play of the game. But my lord, was he glorious. The 49ers went for a goal post shot to the end zone on the final play in a tie game and no overtime. Trent Taylor somehow came down with it, shoveled it back towards Ronnie Bell. Gutierrez pushed it back further and Bell got it back. He eventually flipped it to Cody Schrader. Schrader made the mistake of flipping it to Tanner Mordecai, who panicked, dropped it, then ran right and threw forward, illegally, back to Schrader. Forget all that. Schrader took off down the sideline. He had a head of steam but got stopped and discharged the ball to Gutierrez, who saw his dreams ahead. He ran past two Raiders defenders, running from nearly the 20 to the 6-yard line. He got there, stiff-armed Matthew Butler, and right as he seemed to get by him, was tackled by Butler by the ankles. For a brief, shining moment, he saw glory.
DUDS
Brayden Willis + Cam Latu
Willis is a guy you keep hoping does the right thing, but he just cannot seem to block well enough. He missed a few Friday night. So, too, did Cam Latu, who got called for holding, missed multiple blocks, and went the wrong way on one play. He made two catches, one solid, with contact coming, but he makes too many mistakes.
Brandon Allen
He stepped into two sacks in vintage Jimmy Garoppolo fashion. It’s hard to get over that after watching Purdy navigate the pocket so deftly. It was leagues away. And if you’re going to be the backup, you’d like to see some semblance of a feel there.
Return coverage
The special teams coverage looked shaky from the outset. A great kickoff from Jake Moody to open the game was still met with a return past the 30, and later, Tyreik McAlister took advantage of special teams misplays from Samuel Womack III and Willis to return the ball for an 81-yard touchdown.
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