49ers stock watch: Who’s up, who’s down after first preseason game?
The 49ers opened their 2023 preseason with an dreary 34-7 loss to the Raiders in Las Vegas.
A subpar performance saw plenty of players stocks go down in the first exhibition game of the year, but a handful of players also pushed their stocks in a positive direction.
Let’s take a look at whose stock is rising, and whose stock is falling for the 49ers heading into the second week of the preseason:
Stock up: WR Ronnie Bell
Bell had a terrific preseason debut as a pro. He caught three of his six targets for 58 yards, and showed off some tackle breaking ability with a jet sweep that went for 15 yards. The big slip up for him was a drop that led to an interception, but head coach Kyle Shanahan complimented the route in his post-game press conference, which matters more for Bell at this point than the actual result of the play.
Stock down: TE Cameron Latu
It was a less-than-stellar debut for Latu. He didn’t excel as a blocker and then fumbled on his only reception of the game. It’s worth noting his grab came after a bobble on a relatively easy pitch and catch. For a player who’s had drop problems in camp, a fumble after a bobble was the last thing Latu needed in Sunday’s game.
Stock up: QB Sam Darnold
Darnold wasn’t asked to do much in his three drives, but he completed five-of-eight throws for 84 yards. There were a couple misfires to start and end his day, but overall he showed off the arm talent and some of the athleticism that made him a No. 3 overall draft pick. Pushing the ball down the field without turning it over will be vital for Darnold in winning the backup QB job, and he did that Sunday.
Stock down: QB Trey Lance
Evaluating Lance in the preseason opener is tough because the offensive line play was mostly abysmal (more on that shortly). There were a couple of issues not related to the offensive line though. First, he missed a couple of easy throws. Second, he held the ball too long and took a couple of unnecessary sacks. Getting behind the starting OL and working within a game plan would be beneficial for Lance. There were enough plus plays from the third-year signal caller to continue being intrigued, but overall it didn’t feel like a step forward for him in the backup battle.
Stock up: DE Clelin Ferrell
Ferrell looked like a different player Sunday than he had in any of his four seasons with the Raiders. He made a sweet move to get through the left tackle’s inside shoulder and get home for a sack on one of his five pass rush snaps. Given the lack of production from the other DEs it was a good day for Ferrell in the battle to line up as a starter opposite Nick Bosa.
Stock down: K Jake Moody
Moody has been very good in practice which will help buoy his stock some. That didn’t translate to Sunday’s game though where he badly missed both of his field goal tries. It’s not quite to the point the 49ers will have an open competition between their kickers, but it was not a good start for the rookie placekicker.
Stock up: WR Chris Conley
The veteran wide receiver put together a nice day where he caught three of his four targets for 47 yards. It’ll still be an uphill climb for Conley to make the club and he’ll likely need to carve out a special teams role to do that, but he’s a big target and a good athlete, so a strong preseason showing makes it easy to point his arrow upward.
Stock down: Offensive line reserves
It was a tough day for the entirety of the 49ers backups on the offensive line. Not that the game is going to be easy for players who aren’t getting a ton of run in practice, but they allowed 11 pressures Sunday in 35 dropbacks per Pro Football Focus. That is not great. Perhaps most concerning is that the two biggest culprits were Nick Zakelj (four pressures) and Jaylon Moore (three pressures), both of whom are expected to make the 53-man roster.
Stock up: Health
Perhaps the biggest plus for the 49ers on Sunday was that they didn’t suffer any major injuries. Staying healthy is a major preseason key for a San Francisco club that’s been destroyed by injuries the last couple years.
Stock down: CB Isaiah Oliver
Oliver was one of the only projected starters who played and it didn’t go particularly well for San Francisco’s new nickel corner. Granted, they’re playing a vanilla defense, but Oliver still had opportunities to make plays and didn’t. PFF had him down for four receptions allowed on four targets for 34 yards and one touchdown. Oliver also allowed 23 yards after the catch. Just an overall rough outing for the veteran CB.
Stock up: CB Ambry Thomas
It was a really nice 2023 preseason debut for Thomas after a tough 2022 campaign. The 2021 third-round pick didn’t allow a catch on two targets, had a pair of pass breakups, and flew in for a fourth-down run stop that forced a turnover on downs. Thomas needed to show up in a game situation and he certainly did that, which should put help him hold onto a roster spot for now.
