Ranking 49ers rookies: De’Zhaun Stribling, Jaden Dugger impressing as preseason approaches

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — How does the San Francisco 49ers’ rookie class stack up after the spring session and 10 training camp practices?

Well, their top pick lands in the top spot. From then on, however, the order becomes more surprising.

That group, eight draft picks and seven undrafted free agents, will be in the spotlight when the Tennessee Titans drop by this week. There will be a joint practice on Tuesday, followed by both teams’ preseason opener at 6 p.m. Thursday.

“There’s a lot of young players on our team,” offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said. “You just want to see those guys go out there and play confident, play fast and do their assignment. It’s a good test to kind of see where we’re at.”

1. WR De’Zhaun Stribling, second round, No. 33

Apart from a three-day hamstring issue, everything has been positive for Stribling so far. On Sunday, his position coach described him as having “confident hands,” and on Monday, he showed off those hands in catching three passes from Brock Purdy, including an in-stride deep ball down the right sideline.

Look for Stribling to operate mainly out of the slot — Jauan Jennings’ former position — against the Titans. Christian Kirk’s lingering calf injury has given Stribling a lot of snaps at that spot, and he’s made the most of them so far.

2. LB Jaden Dugger, fifth round, No. 154

Another fifth-round gem for the 49ers? Dugger has been one of the surprises of camp, appearing occasionally with the first-team defense and logging snaps in the middle, on the weakside and at the team’s so-called “fever” position in recent practices, impressive for a rookie. The fever spot is a hybrid role in which the player might play linebacker, nickel cornerback or edge rusher depending on the play. In that way, Dugger is emblematic of defensive coordinator Raheem Morris’ revamped unit — he’s versatile and can have a different role from snap to snap.

3. DT Gracen Halton, fourth round, No. 107

Halton shook off an early-camp knee injury and has looked sharp since. He’s dominated at times in one-on-one drills, blowing past his opponent and crashing the pocket. What’s more telling is that he’s routinely done that in 11-on-11 situations as well, including a couple of good “thuds” on running backs in the backfield. Halton appears to be No. 4 in the defensive tackle rotation behind Osa Odighizuwa, Alfred Collins and CJ West.

4. RB Kaelon Black, third round, No. 90

Black might have been competing with Stribling for the top spot on this list if not for an Aug. 2 adductor (inner thigh) injury, which has caused him to miss every practice since. Before that, he looked sharp both as a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. And his heft — 211 pounds — separated him from the other runners in San Francisco’s backfield.

Black’s injury is a blow to his quest to be the team’s No. 2 runner this year, though if he returns soon, there’s still time to win that role before the Sept. 10 opener. After all, his biggest competition for that spot, Jordan James, has been out even longer with a broken rib.

5. DE Romello Height, third round, No. 70

Height is as quick as advertised and has had opponents grasping for air on at least two occasions so far. However, he also might lead the team in pre-snap penalties, and he finds himself on the ground a lot.

At around 240 pounds, the third-rounder is undersized for the position and might be best paired next to far-bigger-bodied Mykel Williams in five-man alignments. With Williams still coming back from last year’s ACL injury, that’s a setup we have yet to see. Look for Height to get some matchups against Titans right tackle JC Latham this week.

6. DT Bryson Eason, undrafted

If the 49ers keep five defensive tackles as expected, there’s a good chance one will have entered the league as an undrafted rookie — Eason, James Thompson III or second-year player Sebastian Valdez. Eason is the biggest of the three, with the thick, low-slung physique of a nose tackle. The 49ers liked him so much that they invited him to Santa Clara for a pre-draft visit. Before Collins returned to practice last week, Eason was taking occasional snaps next to Odighizuwa with the first-team defense.

7. DT James Thompson III, undrafted

Thompson, another undrafted rookie, has looked just as impressive. He’s been a bear for offensive linemen in one-on-one drills, either moving them backward as if on roller skates, or if they try to overcompensate, locking on and yanking them to the ground. Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek said he was able to convince both Thompson and Eason to join the 49ers because they have a legitimate shot at the 53-man roster.

“With Bryson, just the size you saw on tape, I would assume that he would have gotten drafted,” Kocurek said. “The same with James Thompson. The film was just too good.”

8. CB Ephesians Prysock, fourth round, No. 139

He’s been a bit obscured by standout veterans Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout and Jack Jones, who had an interception in Monday’s practice. Still, Prysock has been solid and has a physique — nearly 6 feet 4 with 33 ⅛-inch arms — that makes him jump out on the field. Look for him to see plenty of action Thursday against the Titans.

9. G/C Carver Willis, fourth round, No. 127

Willis missed a few practices after suffering a concussion. He was back Monday, logging snaps at both left and right guard and at center. The fact that the 49ers are at least testing him at center underscores that they think he’s sharp enough to handle the position. With backup center Brett Toth (concussion) currently out and Nick Zakelj getting released Monday, Drake Nugent and Willis could be the backup centers against the Titans.

10. LB Larry Worth III, undrafted

Worth is in the same mold as Dugger — a jack-of-all-trades type linebacker candidate. He was a 6-4 safety at Arkansas, and his first step is to learn the linebacker position. But linebackers coach K.J. Wright is impressed with his sharpness and work ethic, and he seems to have a good shot of landing on the practice squad as a developmental prospect.

11. WR Will Pauling, undrafted

Pauling got a nice plug from receivers coach Leonard Hankerson on Sunday when he called the undrafted rookie the team’s “most physical receiver” so far in training camp, especially as a blocker.

“No matter if he’s going up against a D-end, a linebacker, or a DB, he’s been sustaining blocks,” Hankerson said.

Pauling, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing (currently out with a hip flexor) are vying to be the team’s punt returner this season. Pauling, however, has yet to distinguish himself as a receiver in practices.

12. WR Wesley Grimes, undrafted

Grimes is also very much in learning mode when it comes to picking up San Francisco’s offense. Still, he’s gifted physically, and the 49ers liked him enough to host him for an official visit before the draft. Pauling has lined up mostly in the slot, while Grimes has been playing on the outside.

13. S Jalen Stroman, undrafted

Stroman, who played collegiately at Virginia Tech and Notre Dame, hasn’t stood out yet. He’s been playing with the third-string group alongside Patrick McMorris. On the bright side: Then-rookie safety Marques Sigle hadn’t jumped out at this point a year ago but ended up starting the first seven games of the season.

14. T Enrique Cruz Jr., fifth round, No. 179

Cruz moves exceptionally well for someone his size, and offensive line coach Chris Foerster and company have to be encouraged that he can hit his marks on the 49ers’ challenging wide zone runs.

But his pass protection in one-on-one drills — yikes! He’s had several complete whiffs and seems to be so concerned with opponents going around him that he fails to anchor and is easily backed into the quarterback’s lap.

To be fair, Cruz has looked more competent in 11-on-11 situations. And he notched his first one-on-one win Monday — against newcomer Ogbo Okoronkwo. Still, his first two weeks of training camp underscore that Cruz is very much a project.

15. P Jack Bouwmeester

Bouwmeester’s position on this list doesn’t signal that he’s been awful. Rather, he lands at the bottom because it’s been hard to evaluate him in a camp in which live punting is rare. (He’s looked great as a holder!) Thursday’s game ought to be a much better opportunity to watch Bouwmeester and his rival for the punting job, lefty Corliss Waitman.