San Francisco 49ers OTAs storylines to Watch: All eyes on Brock Purdy's offensive weaponry

The San Francisco 49ers will hold full team practices for the first time since losing the Super Bowl this week as they kick off organised team activities (OTAs).

Practices can feature on-field workouts with individual and group components, including walkthroughs, though no live contact is permitted. However, 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed during OTAs, albeit with helmets and pads.

Following a busy offseason that has seen some significant changes to the roster, there are several compelling storylines to follow as the Niners step up preparations to get back to the Super Bowl in the 2024 campaign. Let's examine the most interesting.

1. Will Brandon Aiyuk be involved at all?

The 49ers are reportedly not close to a deal with their All-Pro receiver over a long-term contract extension.

But that does not necessarily mean Aiyuk won't be at OTAs. They not mandatory, but Aiyuk could play a balancing act in turning up for OTAs but not practicing and jepoardizing his leverage by putting his body at risk of injury.

After the NFL Draft passed without a trade of Aiyuk, any scenario that didn't involve the 49ers retaining him became extremely unlikely. Still, the longer his contract saga goes on, the more expensive he is likely to get. Aiyuk being in the building in any capacity would seemingly make a deal easier to complete and, while there are plenty of intriguing stories as the 49ers head to the practice field, none takes on greater prominence than the potential presence of their leading receiver.

2. Can Pearsall make an early impression?

If Aiyuk does not practice, there will be more opportunities for first-round rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall to build a rapport with Brock Purdy akin to the one Aiyuk enjoys with the 49ers' quarterback.

The selection of Pearsall caught many by surprise as the 49ers bypassed players at seemingly more pressing areas of need to take him 31st overall.

But San Francisco did struggle to beat man coverage in the Super Bowl and, with Aiyuk potentially not practicing, if Pearsall can dominate and show an impressive knowledge of the playbook to head coach Kyle Shanahan, he could soon be on track to silence those who questioned the Niners taking him in the first round.

3. The backup tight end battle

The 49ers have the NFL's premier tight end in first-team All-Pro George Kittle.

But a problem the 49ers have long since been trying to solve is the lack of impact players behind him on the depth chart. They drafted two last year in third-rounder Cameron Latu and seventh-rounder Brayden Willis. Willis played sparingly in 2023 and Latu's rookie season was lost to a knee injury.

Shanahan didn't exactly give Latu a vote of confidence when asked about him after this year's draft, indicating the battle for TE2 is a wide open one after Charlie Woerner departed in free agency. With Eric Saubert, who has guaranteed money on his one-year deal, undrafted free agent Mason Pline and Jake Tonges also in the mix, the backup tight end competition figures to be a compelling one to watch.

4. Talanoa Hufanga's progress

Speaking in his first press conference as the 49ers' new defensive coordinator this month, Nick Sorensen confirmed safety Talanoa Hufanga had been back on the practice field.

That was an important update for the 49er defense, which is set to task Hufanga with quickly returning to All-Pro form after seeing his 2023 season ended by a torn ACL suffered in November.

Hufanga is set to partner with Ji'Ayir Brown at safety. Brown is coming off a hugely encouraging rookie season, though one in which he only played five regular season games. 

With rookie Malik Mustapha seemingly the primary backup after the 49ers elected not to sign another veteran safety, there is significant onus on Hufanga to shake off the rust and return to his spectacular best in a contract year. How he looks in his first practices open to the media since the injury will give an early indication of how realistic it is to expect Hufanga to do that.

5. Can Puni push to start?

While the 49ers did not draft an outright tackle with any of their eight selections, they did take a player in the third round whom they believe has five-position upside in Dominick Puni.

Puni displayed intriguing versatility in his college career at Kansas, which he finished with two successive seasons without allowing a sack, playing left guard in 2022 and left tackle in 2023.

The 49ers believe he can play every position on the offensive line, but have already said they see him initially on the interior at guard, meaning his most likely path to starting right off the bat would be to dislodge veteran Jon Feliciano from the right guard spot. 

Feliciano's injury in Super Bowl 58 was a key reason why the Niners lost, with Spencer Burford committing a critical protection error in overtime in his absence, but the 49ers would benefit from having a longer-term solution at the position.

Athletically, Puni looks an excellent fit for the 49ers' offense, and his success in pass protection in college points to him having the skill set to fortify a longtime problem area. The upcoming practices could provide an early clue of whether he is capable of beating out Feliciano and making that role his own as a rookie.

6. The battle for kick return spots

With the new kickoff rules likely to facilitate more chances for field-flipping returns, there have been roster moves across the league this offseason made clearly with idea of maximizing those opportunities in mind.

The 49ers selected two players in the 2024 draft with game-changing speed who are candidates to make an impact in the return game, taking running back Isaac Guerendo and wide receiver Jacob Cowing in the fourth round. Guerendo crushed the Combine and ran the 40 in 4.33 seconds, while Cowing has 4.38 speed.

In addition to Guerendo and Cowing, the 49ers have previously used Deebo Samuel as a returner, a ploy they may be tempted to use more often following the implementation of the new rules. Jordan Mason and Ronnie Bell also have kick return experience.

San Francisco hasn't had a kick return touchdown since 2018, when Richie James Jr. ran one back in a win over the Seattle Seahawks. It will be fascinating to see which players they have practicing returns as they look to change that fact with special teams set to become a bigger part of the game in 2024.