49ers mailbag: Why is the team so injury-prone? What is Alfred Collins' best spot?

New York Times

2 hours ago

What are the San Francisco 49ers going to do at their threadbare receiver spot? What are their plans at swing tackle? And where exactly do they envision second-round rookie Alfred Collins lining up on their defensive line?
These are the questions that worry readers as we hit the homestretch of the summer season.
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Thanks for all the great questions, some of which have been edited for length and clarity.
Why do you think the 49ers are so physically fragile? What do you think causes so many injuries? — David P.
Some of the team's injuries in the preseason are just bad luck. Knee injuries to Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos last year and injuries to Corey Kiner (high ankle) and Dominick Puni (knee) this month aren't part of any systemic issue. They're just misfortune.
I don't think there's any question, however, that the 49ers practice harder and faster than most NFL teams, including in training camp. Consider the player quotes in this story from 2023, one of them from receiver Chris Conley: 'It's not about preservation here. It's about attacking.'
Kyle Shanahan wants his players accustomed to the speed and intensity required in the regular season. He wants players to build what he calls 'a callus' during training camp. Achieving that callus comes with a cost.
That, at least, is my theory on why they have so many injuries each summer — they're being pushed harder than most teams.
Do you know what the 49ers do for a conditioning test at the start of camp? — Clayton J.
They used to do something called a beep test in which the entire team ran back and forth between two points before a loud BEEP sounded. The catch was that the interval between beeps gradually decreased, causing more and more players to drop out or fail to reach the markers in time. I remember the last guys running usually were the quarterbacks and specialists because they weren't sprinters and weren't carrying a lot of weight.
I don't know if any team still uses that test. These days, the players wear GPS devices that track their speeds, distances and other measures. That is, if a player is out of shape, it shows up in the numbers.
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In a recent article, you mentioned the 49ers envision Alfred Collins as a three-technique. But his immense size and lack of explosive physical traits (26-inch vertical jump, 8-foot broad jump) don't scream penetrating defensive tackle. Wouldn't he be better at zero-technique/nose tackle? — Dean R.
The 49ers note there weren't a lot of instances in which Collins was coached to fire off the line of scrimmage (the way the 49ers defensive linemen do) when he was at Texas. However, he did so occasionally on obvious passing downs and looked good — and light on his feet — on those plays.
'You saw the explosiveness of his body, the ability to really change direction and the speed to pursue the ball, the change of speed to go fetch plays downfield,' defensive line coach Kris Kocurek said in June.
Last week, when he was asked about the various roles he sees for the rookie defensive linemen, Kocurek said, 'Alfred's length matches up to a three-technique type player a little bit more than CJ (West's) length. But I like the skill sets of all of them.'
That said, Collins has not shown a lot of explosion — or effective explosion — thus far this summer. In fact, he was often the last lineman (on both sides of the ball) to fire out of his stance in Saturday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Pro Football Focus gave him a lowly 48.2 grade after giving him a 40.6 grade in the preseason opener.
It's possible, even likely, that his legs are dead after sitting out all of spring practices, and because the 49ers are so low on defensive tackles. He is also learning an entirely new technique, and Kocurek cautioned that Collins will need time to adjust.
All of which is to say, the 49ers are willing to wait a little longer to determine his best spot.
Since Thanksgiving of 2023, the 49ers' front seven has seemed vulnerable. Now, without Dre Greenlaw (but with Robert Saleh and the rookies), what weaknesses do you think that group still possesses? — Neeraj J.
I think the biggest weakness is the lack of an obvious three-technique. With Kevin Givens (pec) out for a while and Collins developing slowly, the most natural player there is Kalia Davis, who's largely unproven.
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Mykel Williams — and when he's healthy, Gross-Matos — will get opportunities to rush from the inside this season. Still, the 49ers' 2023 three-technique, Javon Hargrave, had seven sacks and 52 quarterback pressures that season. It's hard to see any of the 49ers' current interior rushers coming close to those numbers.
Which position-group injury clusters appear to be most worrisome to those inside the building? — Ryan S.
Receiver. By a fairly wide margin.
What do you think is a likely receiving mix this season? Top guy, slot, TE, Christian McCaffrey, etc.? — Spence A.
To begin the season:
X (split end) — Jauan Jennings
Z (flanker) — Ricky Pearsall
F (slot) — Jacob Cowing
To end the season (ideal scenario):
X — Brandon Aiyuk
Z — Pearsall
F — Jennings
It makes sense that at the beginning of the season, the 49ers will lean on George Kittle and McCaffrey in the passing game. Kittle has been the best player — offense and defense — in training camp this year, and McCaffrey … if he's not back to his 2023 form, he's pretty close to it.
Terique Owens seemed to be on the way up the depth chart earlier in training camp. But even with the injuries to the WR group, he's rarely mentioned. Is he once again headed to the practice squad? — Ray D.
He's made a few catches in practice and — there's no overstating this, especially at receiver — he's managed to remain healthy. But he's usually one of the last receivers to be worked into the 11-on-11 mix and remains a work in progress. My sense is that the 49ers are going to make a few additions — to both the 53-man and practice squad rosters — at the end of the month.
Do you think the 49ers regret cutting RB Israel Abanikanda? — Allen B.
No. Jeff Wilson Jr. > Abanikanda
For that brief time Dee Ford was healthy, the pass rush with Nick Bosa was spectacular. Haven't had it since. Any chance the 49ers can afford Trey Hendrickson? He'd get 'em over the top. — Chris D.
It's very hard to see them doing that considering their current let's-not-spend-money approach and the fact that they used their first-round pick on a big-bodied defensive end.
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Can the 49ers expect Bryce Huff to be Leonard Floyd 2.0 this year, production-wise? — Barney G.
They're different edge rushers. Floyd didn't beat offensive tackles with brilliant pass-rush moves as much as he was relentless and had good vision. Because of that, he had a lot of clean-up opportunities.
Huff is a speed rusher through and through. He's in the vein of Ford and Samson Ebukam. (Maybe he lands somewhere in between them?) I think he'll get a lot of pass-rush opportunities this year. Floyd's 8.5 sacks last season might be a good over/under for Huff this year.
Hi Matt, love your work, and love the YouTube addition to 49ers +/-! Which rookies have impressed you most so far? — Daniel L
Rookie Watch is a living, breathing organism. It changes shape from week to week. But as it stands now, I'd go:
Upton Stout
West
Marques Sigle
Jordan Watkins
Nick Martin
Williams
Sebastian Valdez
Connor Colby
Jakob Robinson
Jordan James
Kiner
Drew Moss
Junior Bergen
Collins
Derrick Canteen
Stone Blanton
Kurtis Rourke (N/A)
With uncertainty surrounding Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz, whom do you see winning the swing tackle job? Do the 49ers stick with Austen Pleasants, Spencer Burford or Isaiah Prince, or are they likely to turn to the waiver wire? — Greg T.
They'll definitely take a long look at the waiver wire next week. But given the paucity of quality tackles around the league — and the 49ers' hard-to-please attitude when it comes to the position — I don't think they're optimistic about landing someone.
It looks as if Burford will back up left tackle and Pleasants right tackle. It will be interesting if one or both start getting snaps at the opposite spot this week or next. Prince has played both this summer, albeit mostly with the third-team unit.
In various preseason games, I see the importance of the kicker placing the ball in the landing zone. How much time are the 49ers dedicating to this in practice? — Rich D.
Coordinator Brant Boyer wants to avoid touchbacks this year since it will put the ball on the 35-yard line. So placing the ball just short of the goal line is paramount.
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Jake Moody had looked good in that area through two preseason games. The average landing spot for his six kickoffs has been the 2-yard line. Two others have resulted in touchbacks. The opponent's average starting position after kickoffs, including touchbacks, has been the 33-yard line. (One kick that landed at the 1-yard line was returned to the 43).
(Photo of Alfred Collins, 95: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
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