Predicting 49ers' Breakout Players at 2023 OTAs, Minicamp
The San Francisco 49ers will begin to find out what impact their 2023 draft picks and depth players will have over the next few weeks.
The 49ers opened OTAs on Monday and have seven more workouts before their mandatory minicamp from June 13-15.
A majority of their top players will not be present at OTAs, or at least they won't participate in a majority of the drills.
Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff will evaluate where the depth pieces fit before the starters take over the reps in training camp.
Most of the focus will be on the quarterback position and how Trey Lance looks, but the players around the 23-year-old could be the true breakout stars of the practice sessions.
Ronnie Bell
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Seventh-round pick Ronnie Bell is one of a few offensive skill-position players with the most to gain during OTAs.
Players chosen late in the draft are never guaranteed spots on the 53-man roster, so the seventh-rounder needs to impress the coaching staff with every chance he gets.
David Lombardi of The Athletic noted that Bell displayed "sticky hands" during the opening practices of OTAs.
The 23-year-old is coming off the best season of his five-year collegiate career. He had 62 receptions, 889 receiving yards and four scores in 2022.
The Michigan product could be a nice depth piece at wide receiver behind Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and others.
Bell's likely competition will be Ray-Ray McCloud, Willie Snead and other rookies, and if his pass-catching ability is on display in all of those practices, he could gain an advantage going into training camp.
Tyrion Davis-Price
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Tyrion Davis-Price could use a good start to the 2023 season after recording six carries for 34 yards in his rookie campaign.
The No. 93 pick in the 2022 NFL draft could not get into the running back rotation despite the injury to Elijah Mitchell.
And Davis-Price faces an uphill climb to snaps this year because of Christian McCaffrey and Mitchell's presence at the top of the depth chart.
The 22-year-old is likely competing with Jordan Mason for the No. 3 running back spot on the 53-man roster.
Mason had the upper hand on the LSU product in 2022, when he earned 43 carries and gained 258 rushing yards.
Davis-Price needs to make up ground in the running back competition immediately, and a strong performance across OTAs would be a great start.
Isaiah Oliver
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Isaiah Oliver does not fit the typical mold of an OTA breakout star.
The 26-year-old spent the last five seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and should play some type of role in the 49ers secondary right away. He is not competing for playing time, unlike Bell and Davis-Price.
Oliver already made an impression in the first two days of OTAs with Deommodore Lenoir and Charvarius Ward not practicing.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic described the Colorado product as "the most prominent defensive player" during Tuesday's practice.
Of course, that praise has to be taken lightly because he was going up against younger wide receivers, and his practice performance could change once Samuel and Aiyuk hit the field.
Oliver's play in training camp and in preseason will be important for the 49ers, though, because they need their secondary to be able to deal with three-pronged passing attacks, such as the one the Seattle Seahawks formed when they drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
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