The San Francisco 49ers didn’t rely on their rookies as much in Week 1 as they did in Week 2. There’s enough depth along the defensive line to ease the first-timers in. With that said, they were drafted for a reason, and that reason is to make a difference.
Let’s give out grades for the rookie performances against the Saints from Week 2.
Mykel Williams: B+
Mykel found himself on the right side of luck on two plays, where he was unblocked for a couple of tackles for loss. Five tackles, a quarterback pressure, and a couple of bull rushes that were oh so close to a quarterback hit are worthy enough for a high grade for Mykel.
Teams can no longer run away from Nick Bosa. Williams had three run stops against the Saints. That’s an offensive line stocked with first and second rounders, so this was a good litmus test for the Niners’ defensive line. It’s safe to say we won’t see teams trying to block Mykel with a tight end again this season:
He’s been precisely what the 49ers have needed through two games. An interior presence that pushes the pocket as the edge rushers collapse in the passing game, and a stout run defender who makes a play or two to end a drive.
Alfred Collins: B+
When you select a player as early as the 49ers did with Mykel Williams, he’s supposed to hit the ground running and be as good as advertised.
Alfred Collins was drafted early enough in the second round, where it was fair to question what was going on when Collins only played nine snaps in Week 1. Yes, he was injured during the offseason, but it shouldn’t have been enough to set Collins back that much, right?
Fret not, as Collins’ usage doubled in Week 2. From splitting double teams to winning 1-on-1 blocks, Collins’s impact was palpable against the Saints. And again, these were early draft picks he’s going against.
Collins didn’t just prove that he belongs, he showed that he can play. Collins was a bully against New Orleans, and difficult to move. San Francisco will need his size and effort against Arizona in Week 3. Collins was outsnapped by Kalia Davis (32) and Jordan Elliott (36). If he plays the way he did against New Orleans, it won’t be long before it’s Collins as the defensive tackle the Niners are hesitant to bring off the field. He was impressive.
Nick Martin: Incomplete
Martin has been inactive in both games. If you’ve seen the linebacker play, you’d understand why. Fred Warner was named the NFC Defensive Player of the week. Dee Winters is bound to be recognized at some point this year for the same award.
Upton Stout: C+
Stout was the victim of a BS penalty on 3rd & 12 after being in position. That was the only catch he allowed all afternoon. Interestingly enough, Robert Saleh instituted a big nickel look this past week, playing Ji’Ayir Brown was a pseduo linebacker -- presumably to take some responsbility off Stout’s plate.
Stout doesn’t have to think as much in man-to-man coverage. That seemed to help him in Week 2. While his aggression as a run defender is appreciated, Stout did miss a pair of tackles. But he also had a sack, and his speed allows Saleh to blitz Stout off the edge and run as much single-high safety as the 49ers have through two games. Stout will be just fine.
CJ West: Incomplete
West only played 12 snaps. The 49ers having a lead for the duration of the game meant they wouldn’t need West for his run defense. It’s worth noting that West did win cleanly on one of his few pass rushes. That had to be encouraging. But he didn’t play enough to warrant a grade.
Jordan Watkins/Jordan James: Incomplete
Neither Watkins nor James have active yet. I can’t imagine what Skyy Moore does better than Watkins that’s worthy of a roster spot. Moore played one offensive snap in Week 1 and he missed a block. So of course he doesn’t play in Week 2.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a decoy. He’s fast, but so is Watkins. We’ll see if this is the week that the 49ers wanted Watkins to be healthy, given the stakes. It’s hard to imagine he can’t bring more to the table than the non Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, and Kendrick Bourne wideouts.
Would the 49ers really break James in during their home debut in a divisional game? He’s been out with a broken finger. But the way Brian Robinson is laboring through holes, James can’t be worse.
It’s not as if Robinson is doing anything wrong. His eyes take him to the right place. The problem is the inefficiency. Robinson has zero burst. His expected yards per carry in Week 1 was 5.1. Robinson finished with 3.7 yards per carry. Against the Saints, Robinson was 1.1 yards short of his expected numbers. And this is running against a stacked box only 16.7 percent of the time. Robinson’s lack of juice makes James an intriguing option if he has the trust of the coaching staff.
Marques Sigle: C
Sigle is going through some early growing pains as a rookie. Sigle couldn’t have played the 20-yard reception he allowed to Brandin Cooks any better. The result just didn’t go his way. The Saints got the best of Sigle on a slot fade for an 18-yard touchdown. Again, he was where he needed to be. The coaching point for Sigle would be to play through Johnson’s hands and not look back, as that is what created all the separation needed for a completion.
Those two plays and a penalty might leave a bad taste in his mouth. It’s a results based business, and those were all critical plays at the time. He had two run stops, didn’t miss a tackle, and was where he needed to be. The Saints had an average separation of 1.8 yards on the three targets toward Sigle. To give you an idea of the probability on those throws, Sigle finished with a catch rate over expected of +54.3 percent. Needless to say, he’s bound to get some breaks his way in the near future.
Connor Colby: A
An Iowa offensive lineman coming in and looking like a seven-year starter. We should not be surprised. Colby, a seventh rounder, had one blown block in 56 snaps -- and that was on a stunt, so he never lost 1-on-1. Iowa linemen are generally better run blockers than pass protectors, but that wasn’t the case for Colby coming out and it wasn’t the case against the Saints. His athleticism was on full display, as Colby had a couple of plays where he cleared out the linebacker:
If Colby stays healthy, and proves to be a factor in the running game the way he did against the Saints, Ben Bartch is this year’s Wally Pipp candidate
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