After a day off on Monday, the San Francisco 49ers returned to practice on Tuesday for another padded session. Here are the top observations from the eighth practice of 49ers training camp presented by SAP.
1. The offense opened with an efficient 1-on-1 period. Dres Anderson made an acrobatic, over-the-shoulder catch down the left sideline on a pass from Colin Kaepernick. Anderson was able to keep both feet in bounds while making the reception. Kaepernick followed with another impressive over-the-shoulder throw to Bruce Ellington down the right sideline.
2. The subsequent 3-on-4 portion brought more offensive highlights. Thad Lewis threw the first touchdown to Je'Ron Hamm. Gabbert followed with a scoring throw to Garrett Celek. The top defensive plays from the period were pass breakups from Gerald Hodges and Jered Bell.
3. Two rookies had impressive showings on Tuesday. Aaron Burbridge showed off his strong hands with two notable catches. First, the rookie wideout made a contested catch in the 1-on-1 period and was able to fight through contact from the defensive back in coverage. Burbridge then caught a touchdown in the 3-on-4 drill from Kaepernick, again, showing his ability to make tough receptions in tight coverage. The other standout first-year player was Will Redmond. In the 3-on-4 period, Redmond forced an incompletion in the corner of the end zone with blanket coverage on Ellington. The corner followed with a PBU in the first 7-on-7 period on a pass near the right sideline intended for DeAndrew White.
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4.** Hodges continued his strong practice with another pass breakup during 7-on-7 and a forced fumble in the initial team period.
5. Pierre Garçon turned in three impressive runs in the aforementioned team drill. The first came on a run around the right tackle that was sealed perfectly, allowing Hyde to get upfield before first contact. Hyde then bounced around the left tackle for another sizeable gain up the left sideline. The very next snap, Hyde cut back inside the left tackle to find more open running room.
6. Ronald Blair III flashed on Tuesday and recorded a tackle for loss during a team period. Garrett Celek followed with a would-be sack.
7. Charles Haley again worked with pass-rushers throughout the day. He spent a good deal of time with rookie DeForest Buckner and later with Ahmad Brooks during 1-on-1 drills.
8. Kaepernick threw four touchdowns in the 7-on-7 red zone period. The first two came on back-to-back plays to Simpson. The first was a bullet, thrown to Simpson's back shoulder at the left pylon. Kaepernick then hit Simpson up the right seam for the duo's second score in as many snaps. White was the recipient of another one of Kaepernick's touchdown passes up the right sideline.
9. The 49ers spent one team drill backed up on their own goal line. The team slowed down the pace and huddled up prior to each snap. Kaepernick broke off one big run during the drill, keeping the ball on a zone read.
10. The defense closed out practice strong. Eli Harold rushed around the left edge for an easy sack. NaVorro Bowman recorded a PBU in the middle of the field on a pass intended for Quinton Patton. The practice ended with a PBU by Prince Charles Iworah on a deep pass from Jeff Driskel to DiAndre Campbell.
11. Lineup notes: Buckner played with the first-team defense on Tuesday as a minor injury kept Arik Armstead out of team drills. Joshua Garnett got some work in at left guard with the second-team offense.
