49ers Preseason Snap Counts And Grades: More Questions Than Answers At Left Guard

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jordan Watkins is going to be sore this morning after playing a team-high 58 offensive snaps and another five as the return man. Then you have the other side, with the newly signed Zamir White only seeing the field for six snaps late in the game at running back.

Let’s look at the snap counts on the offensive side of the ball from the 49ers’ first preseason game:

Offense
58 – Jordan Watkins (WR)
51 – Adrian Martinez (QB)
44 – Austen Pleasants (LT), Brandon Parker (RT), Connor Colby (RG), Drake Nugent (C), Robert Jones (LG)
37 – Hayden Rucci (TE)
35 – Malik Turner (WR)
34 – Brayden Willis (TE), Trenton Irwin (WR)
33 – Carver Willis (LT), Doug Kramer (C), Enrique Cruz Jr. (RT), Isaac Alarcon (RT), Josiah Deguara (TE), Kion Smith (RG)
29 – KhaDarel Hodge (WR)
26 – Kurtis Rourke (QB)
25 – Sincere McCormick (RB)
24 – Khalil Herbert (RB)
22 – De’Zhaun Stribling (WR), Patrick Taylor (RB)
13 – Wesley Grimes (WR), Will Pauling (WR)
6 – Zamir White (RB)

Quarterbacks

Rourke graded nearly 20 points higher (76.9) than Martinez (57.7), in news that shouldn’t surprise anybody. It was the inverse for rushing grades for both quarterbacks, as Martinez (78.2) won that battle over Rourke (56.3). Rourke avoided a sack that he should get credit for.

Martinez was 4-for-13 against the blitz, 12-for-25 when you remove screens, and 4-for-10 on throws beyond 10 yards. Martinez was credited with one turnover-worthy throw and had two drops.

Rourke’s average depth of target skyrocketed to 14.3 when blitzed, which is pretty cool to see him get more aggressive.

Running backs

It feels like you’re nitpicking when you talk about running back performance.

Sincere McCormick led the way with a 69.6 grade, while Patrick Taylor (59.6) lost five yards on five carries. Taylor missed a wide-open hole to the left and decided to cut it back when nothing was there.

Taylor did get credit for breaking three tackles. Each of the other running backs broke one tackle apiece.

Offensive line

I’m not a fan of how PFF evaluates offensive linemen, so I take these with a grain of salt.

Carver Willis was the highest-graded lineman with an 84.4 grade. He had a 90.1 run blocking grade, but a 55.5 pass blocking grade. Somehow, that averages out to 84.4. Willis allowed three pressures on 23 pass blocking snaps.

Austen Pleasants had a 90.9 grade at left tackle, while Connor Colby had a 75.1 at right guard. Colby gave up a pretty bad pressure, but he made no obvious mistakes other than that and competed well.

No player had a lower grade than Robert Jones at 34.1. His pass blocking grade was 13.2, despite only allowing one pressure. He also had a penalty. Jones looked like a guy who is going to get in the way and survive. With that said, he didn’t look “bad,” per se.

Wide receivers

Respectfully skipping over the tight ends, as the three who will play during the season didn’t step onto the field.

De’Zhaun Stribling was the highest-graded player by a long shot at 80.9. More importantly, 70.6% of his snaps came in the slot. Stribling also caught all three of his contested targets. He was not credited with a drop for the throw on the first series that was behind him.

Jordan Watkins lined up out wide on 92.3% of his snaps, catching five passes for 58 yards. It was good to see Watkins work and win over the middle of the field. He would’ve had another first-down reception had it not been for a penalty.

Malik Turner (63.6) seems to have gotten penalized for things out of his control. Had he not dealt with several errant passes, we’re likely talking about a grade similar to Stribling’s.

That’s another reason you’ll never hear me cite “yards per route run.” Stribling’s was 4.13, while Turner’s was 0.96. Turner can’t throw it to himself.

Defense
53 – Ephesians Prysock (CB)
45 – Darrell Luter Jr. (CB), Jakob Robinson (CB)
35 – Ashtyn Davis (SS), Jalen Stroman (SS)
31 – Sebastian Valdez (DT), Titus Leo (DE)
30 – Gracen Halton (DT), Jaden Dugger (LB)
29 – Tatum Bethune (LB)
26 – Marques Sigle (FS), Nick Martin (LB), Ogbo Okoronkwo (DE), Patrick McMorris (FS)
25 – Quinton Bell (DE)
23 – Jalen Graham (LB)
22 – James Thompson Jr. (DT), Xavier Thomas (DE)
21 – Bryson Eason (DT)
18 – Alfred Collins (DT), Romello Height (DE)
16 – Eli Apple (CB), Garret Wallow (LB)
14 – Larry Worth III (FS)
8 – Jack Jones (CB)

Defensive line

Bryson Eason (77.3) and Gracen Halton (73.6) led the way for the defensive line. Ogbo Okoronkwo (3) and James Thompson Jr. (2) were the only players credited with more than one pressure.

Halton was the only player with more than one run stop. He had four. That’ll play.

Thompson Jr. had the highest win percentage as a pass rusher at 18.2%. Okoronkwo was next at 14.3%, followed by Sebastian Valdez at 13.3%.

On the flipside, Alfred Collins (28.2) and Romello Height (35.4) were the lowest graded players from the trenches. Collins missed a tackle, which hurt his grade, but he also got pushed around a bit by the Titans starters. Neither of them won a rep as a pass rusher.

Linebackers

Larry Worth and Tatum Bethune had a sack. Worth also had a run stop.

Nick Martin’s average depth of tackle was 5.8 yards.

Jaden Dugger (63.8) had a stop and a pair of tackles, while Garret Wallow was the lowest graded player among the group (26.8).

Dugger was dinged for allowing a screen pass to go 16 yards, although I’m not sure how you pin that on him. Wallow’s grade was due to coverage, as he allowed both of his targets to go for 22 yards, including 21 yards after the catch. In fairness, it was another screen, and he had to defend a slot receiver on one of those.

Secondary

Ashtyn Davis(76.8) led the way. He had an interception go right through his hands on a great read.

Ephesians Prysock only allowed two receptions for 19 yards on six targets. He also had a pass breakup in the end zone.

Raheem Morris will want to see better tackling as Prysock, Jalen Stroman, and Marques Sigle all missed a tackle. He doesn’t get credit for one because he didn’t make contact, but Jack Jones missed one on the play where he suffered a hand injury.

Robinson, Darrell Luter Jr., and Eli Apple all gave up first downs that ended up being receptions for at least 10 yards.