Another 49ers third-round pick from the 2022 draft is receiving high marks for his early training camp performance from head coach Kyle Shanahan. First it was running back Tyrion Davis-Price getting praise from his coach, now wide receiver Danny Gray has entered the fray.
Shanahan on Thursday talked about how Gray is performing following a strong performance in Thursday’s practice.
“I think he’s having a real good camp,” Shanahan said in his post-practice press conference. “He put the work in phase one, two and three. He was able to get through OTAs working hard and not having an injury. And he obviously spent the 40 days away well because he’s catching the ball, he’s in real good shape, and he’s been out there very consistently and the ball came his way a little more today.”
This is a pretty significant step for Gray who was mostly a non-factor in his rookie year. The 105th overall pick played just 87 offensive snaps in 13 games and caught just one of his seven targets for 10 yards.
There’s a speed element Gray brings that the 49ers can’t replicate with anyone else on their offense. Simply running past defenses isn’t going to be enough to get on the field in Shanahan’s offense though. There has to be more in Gray’s bag as a route runner, and he has to be an effective blocker who knows where to line up.
It sounds like he’s checking some of those boxes as training camp rolls along. That’s a great sign for his chances of not only making the team in 2023, but having some of the impact the team hoped he’d have out of the gate as a rookie.
