Former #49ers pass rusher Aldon Smith died this morning in Northern California. He was 36. Statement from team: “We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith. Aldon’s undeniable talent and sheer dominance on the field were on display from the moment he joined our organization, having recorded one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen. Beyond his excellence as a player, Aldon will be remembered for his infectious smile that lit up every room he walked into. Our entire organization sends its deepest condolences to the Smith family and all who knew and loved Aldon.”

Also this grass looks great on Sofi’s field… wonder if we could get that all season

Striking Gold live! @KP_Show and I are nearing the end of our Roster Rundown series, but we aren't there yet, so let's talk Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw together again. Come join in on the linebacker conversation! youtube.com/live/LhXmjtO0GsI…

As an uninvested onlooker, I must say it’s been a pleasant Twitter experience today to see all the Giants fans that have been clamoring for more Bryce Eldridge over the last few weeks, now celebrating a walk-off Eldridge grand slam. Happy for y’all!

Striking Gold live! @KP_Show and I continue our Roster Rundown series with the #49ers defensive front. A reinvigorated group with new faces and new depth. Let's talk about the potential while you watch the NBA Finals. youtube.com/live/QhDMzf4wzMU…

OTA notes from 49ers practice: Mike Evans is annoying in the sense that he's always gonna be open and you can throw it to him every time if you wanted to. He's automatic on one route and it's a free first down. Kittle said Evans killed it in red zone last week. Jacob Cowing moves different. He runs away from coverage effortlessly in ways that none of the other WRs can. Would not sleep on him as an option. Evans said he has a lot of juice and expects him to be a factor this year. Stribling looks like Stribling. Beat 2 on a go ball. Got behind the defense on a post for six. Heard, "That boy 15 can run, can't he?" Jaden Dugger is an interesting one. He has a better feel/read than I initially thought. Saw him slip a couple blocks today/beat guys to spots. Odighizuwa moves like an EDGE. He looks the part. He looks like something they did not have on the roster last year. Halton looks like he's carrying some bad offseason weight. Wonder if he ends up behind the 8-ball because of it ala Alfred Collins last year. If the 49ers are gonna reach their ceiling defensively Mustapha is gonna have to look something like Hufanga '22. Maybe not All-Pro level, but somewhere around it. He had a nice INT on Brock today. There is going to be a lot on Mustafa's plate this year. Can he answer the challenge? I really like Jordan James. No nonsense runner that's gonna hit a bunch of singles and doubles. That's what the running game needs.

Stribling is in the 87th percentile when it comes to hand size. 9 drops in his 5 years of college & just 1 drop last season at Ole Miss

De’Zhaun Stribling making the football look small with those 10” mitts. Confident hands.

Striking Gold Live! @KP_Show was on the ground at the #49ers' practice facility for OTAs. We discuss the takeaways as the team enters their final break before training camp begins. Who and what stood out? Let's talk about! youtube.com/live/3KJH34Jx98w…

Some notes and observations from the #49ers second open OTA today: - Once again, the majority of the team's stars were not participating, though many of them were watching from the sidelines. That included RB Christian McCaffrey, OT Trent Williams, TE George Kittle, LBs Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Tatum Bethune, DT Alfred Collins and DL Keion White. - Among the players who were working on the side: Williams, Kittle, WR Christian Kirk, RB Isaac Guerendo, LB Luke Gifford, DT Evan Anderson, OL Brett Toth, WR Junior Bergen. - Players I did not see participating or doing side work: WR Ricky Pearsall, DE Sam Okuayinonu, QB Mac Jones. Also not sure on TE Khalil Dinkins, who may have been working on the side but was too far away to confirm it was him. - Jones is dealing with right shoulder soreness but said it's clean and isn't concerned about any long-term issues. Precautionary more than anything. - Insert the usual caveat here that there are no pads and there are no sweeping judgments to be made off of this but a few of the highlights to follow: - Was a day for big plays as the Niners appeared to be working on the deep passing game and testing the secondary as much as possible. QB Brock Purdy connected deep with Demarcus Robinson twice for would be big gains/TDs in 11 on 11. He also found WR Mike Evans on some intermediate routes and hit WR Jacob Cowing for a deep TD over the middle. Adrian Martinez followed by hitting Cowing on another deep one. Martinez found De'Zhaun Stribling for a long touchdown as well with Stribling getting open for a pair of deep balls. - On the flip side, the defense came up with a couple of interceptions. Two came against Purdy who threw it directly to S Malik Mustapha and the other for Darrell Luter Jr. on a pass that was tipped by LB Garret Wallow with Luter coming up with it. The pass was intended for Evans. Kurtis Rourke also threw one that Siran Neal grabbed on a wobbler intended for Colton Dowell. - All in all, it was an especially good day for Robinson, Cowing, Evans and Stribling. Cowing continues to make a statement that he shouldn't be forgotten in the mix, though of course the key for him will be staying on the field to build off a strong offseason program. - Harder to judge running backs without pads but it's hard not to notice the juice that Kaelon Black brings to the RB group. He's decisive and quick and when he sees something he likes, he isn't afraid to accelerate and go. He also made a nice catch on a pass thrown high and behind him today that he had to tip to himself and bring down. Jordan James and Black gonna have a good battle for the No. 2 RB job. - Evans is everything the Niners have wanted/needed at the position in terms of how he handles his business. Kittle made mention today of how this is the first true veteran WR the team has had since Emmanuel Sanders in 2019. Not a knock against others but more in terms of pros who just have that veteran savvy and set the tone for everyone else. Kittle said Evans had three to five TDs in red zone work this week. - That's it from here until training camp. Kyle Shanahan canceling the whole minicamp is sort of new (he's canceled the final day often) but multiple potential reasons for it. The official one is that it's a reward for good attendance but also have to think it was in an effort to get out of this offseason healthy and it probably didn't hurt that Levi's is a bit chaotic right now because of the World Cup coming to town. Will have some more stories and such coming up soon but we'll be back full speed in July with daily training camp breakdowns and more. Thanks for reading.

Striking Gold Live! @KP_Show and I are here to talk through the Rams' blockbuster trade for DE Myles Garrett and how it affects the #49ers' chances in the NFC West. Drop by and add to the conversation! youtube.com/live/-jPZMiTqUPY…

🚨🚨🚨 ESPN sources: The Eagles are trading Pro-Bowl WR A.J. Brown to the Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick that is the better of New England’s two fifths. The deal that has been speculated on for weeks now finally is happening. Brown and Patriots HC Mike Vrabel are reuniting.

Rams first round picks since 2016: 2016: Jared Goff. Eventually traded in Matthew Stafford deal 2017: None 2018: None 2019: None 2020: None 2021: None 2022: None 2023: None 2024: Jared Verse. Eventually traded in Myles Garrett deal 2025: None 2026: Ty Simpson

🚨🚨🚨 Bombshell: The Browns are finalizing a trade that will send two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, per @rapsheet, @TomPelissero and me. In exchange for Garrett, the Rams are expected to send Pro-Bowl edge Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick and other draft-pick compensation still being negotiated to the Browns.

I am crushed. “It seems there is no punter competition for the #49ers, at least not right now. They announced a few weeks back that they agreed to terms with P Jack Bouwmeester. But Bouwmeester isn't listed on the roster and was nowhere to be found today.“