SANTA CLARA — The 49ers might require immediate contributions from the top two offensive players they selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
San Francisco is concerned about wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who experienced swelling in his right knee after the first two practices of the summer. Pearsall’s knee condition is related to the injury he sustained last season to the posterior cruciate ligament, which limited him to just nine games.
Also, running back Jordan James will miss some practice time due to fractured ribs, the team said.
The injuries to Pearsall and James likely will vault a pair of rookies — receiver De’Zhaun Stribling and running back Kaelon Black — closer to the front of the line.
“They’re rookies and they have a long way to go to grow,” 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said. “The volume of the playbook is going to keep going up and they have to stay with it, but you can’t ask for anything more in terms of what they’ve done so far.
“They are very sharp young men in terms of being on the details of their playbook. They practice extremely hard, they’re very coachable and that’s all you can ask from those guys. They have to keep stacking days and getting better.”
The 49ers invested the first pick of the second round (No. 33 overall) in Stribling, while Black was chosen in the third round at No. 90 overall.
Stribling caught four passes during practice on Wednesday, while Black mixed into the backfield behind starter Christian McCaffrey.
Offensive play of the day
Stribling has demonstrated size, strength and speed on the practice field. On Wednesday, he also showed his leaping ability.
Stribling used every bit of his 6-foot-2 frame and 36-inch vertical to climb the ladder to haul in a pass from quarterback Adrian Martinez.
Stribling made the fingertip catch on an intermediate route over the middle.
Defensive play of the day
Veteran cornerback Jack Jones, who is trying to insert himself into a competition with Renardo Green for a starting job, showed his playmaking early in the 11-on-11 session.
Jones skied to intercept backup quarterback Mac Jones’ first throw of practice. The pass was intended for receiver Jacob Cowing, and Jones rose high to take it away from the intended target.
Competition of the day
Quarterback Brock Purdy and Jones are taking the bulk of the practice snaps, while Kurtis Rourke and Martinez share time on the third team.
“The competition between those guys is going to be all camp,” Kubiak said. “Those guys, they’ve embraced it and those guys do a great job of coming out every day and getting their minimal reps they get and getting the most out of them. They’ve done a good job so far. To me, that’s going to emerge through the preseason games.”
Rourke and Martinez had seven snaps apiece during practice. Rourke completed all five of his pass attempts, while Martinez was 3-for-3.
Injury update
Safety Malik Mustapha is sidelined with a hamstring strain. He sustained the injury during practice on Monday, the team said.
Defensive end Romello Height returned to the practice field Wednesday after being carted off the field Monday due to cramps.
Wide receiver Christian Kirk (calf strain), defensive tackle Gracen Halton (knee bone bruise) and offensive lineman Vederian Lowe (high ankle sprain) each sat out their second consecutive practices.
This ’n’ that
—The 49ers signed a pair of defensive linemen to their roster on Wednesday. The team picked up Quinton Bell and K.J. Henry. Those spots were created when the team waived/injured defensive linemen William Bradley-King and Andrew Farmer II.
Bell entered the NFL in 2019 as a seventh-round pick of the Raiders. He has appeared in 34 games (three starts) over his six-year career with the Raiders, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Miami.
Henry was a fifth-round pick of Washington in 2023. In three NFL seasons with the Commanders, Cincinnati, Dallas, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, he has appeared in 15 games with three starts.
—Left tackle Trent Williams had a day off, so Austen Pleasants took over with the first team offense.
—Tight end Jake Tonges, who could play a big role with George Kittle’s status uncertain early in the season, is having a good camp. He caught a pair of passes from Jones on Wednesday.
—Safety Siran Neal had a pass breakup of a Jones throw.
—Green had good coverage on a deep Purdy pass intended for Mike Evans.
—Linebacker Garret Wallow had good coverage on Purdy’s deep ball on a wheel route for McCaffrey.
—Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins, Junior Bergen, Will Pauling and Wesley Grimes fielded punts off the Jugs machine. Watkins muffed one of his attempts.
—Linebacker Dre Greenlaw has stepped right in and taken back his spot next to Fred Warner. On Wednesday, he snuffed out an outside running play for Black.
—The 49ers have a day off on Thursday. They return to the field Friday for their first padded practice of training camp.