The fourth preseason game was a chance for 49ers players to make a final case for the 53-man roster, but two of their more established players stood out.
The San Francisco 49ers suffered defeat in their final preseason game, which saw a couple of more established players excel in an exhibition usually reserved solely for those scrapping to make the team.
Kyle Shanahan gave playing time to some players who will definitely be on the roster, and they predictably impressed as the Niners fell 23-21 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday.
A couple of backup quarterbacks also made the most of the what will likely be the last time they see the field in 2018. Here we look at three standouts from the contest.
Solomon Thomas
While it was no surprise to see Solomon Thomas excel against the Chargers backups, the manner of his domination should have thrilled the 49ers coaching staff. The 2017 third overall pick proved unblockable in his one series on the field. Thomas logged two tackles for loss and a quarterback pressure.
Thomas impressed in successive weeks to end the preseason after recovering from a concussion suffered in the first exhibition. The challenge for him now is to carry that into the regular season after a quiet rookie year.
D.J. Jones
Second-year defensive tackle D.J. Jones is a strong candidate to make a leap in 2018 and he was once again a force in the middle of the defensive line. Jones has consistently caught the eye playing against starters in the preseason, so the Chargers reserves were never likely to prove a challenge.
Leaning on his combination of power and impressive hand usage, Jones was able to stack and shed blockers at will, with his absence very noticeable as the Chargers finally found room to run once the 49ers brought an end to his night.
Nick Mullens
There’s no backup QB controversy for the 49ers, but they can certainly have confidence in their third-stringer. After coming in following C.J. Beathard’s one series, Mullens went 10 of 17 for 106 yards and led a touchdown drive on which he made plays with both his arm and his legs, capping it with a zone-read run for an four-yard touchdown.
Mullens’ development in preseason has been an under-the-radar storyline in preseason, and the 49ers will look for him to continue to grow on their practice squad. Jack Heneghan also had a strong outing in his NFL debut, going eight of nine for 58 yards as he led a pair of touchdown drives, giving the Niners an option off the street should they need one.