Jimmy Garoppolo and most of the other high-profile members of the San Francisco 49ers made brief cameos at most in the exhibition opener.
That gave a pair of seventh-round picks an opportunity to shine
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Receiver Richie James Jr. and defensive lineman Jullian Taylor both played from start to finish and delivered big plays throughout in San Francisco's 24-21
victory over Dallas on Thursday.
James caught four passes for 46 yards, and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 18 seconds remaining, as he tries to make the team as a slot receiver. Taylor
had three tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss, showing
more signs that the Niners might have found a late-round gem.
But both players know there's plenty of more work needed to make the roster.
"You can't get too high off one play when you have a whole season ahead of you," James said Sunday. "If that was the Super Bowl then wow, I'm celebrating.
But that was just preseason."
James has taken advantage of an injury to Trent Taylor, who has been limited following offseason back surgery that kept him out of the first exhibition
game.
James got on the field early, catching the first pass from Garoppolo to convert an early third-down out of the slot and then catching the game-winning
TD from Nick Mullens.
"His athletic ability for such a young guy, it's impressive," Garoppolo said. "You know, once you put the mental part of it with the physical part it'll be
something good."
James was prolific in college
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collarbone limited him to five games last year and he wasn't picked until 240th
overall.
With Marquise Goodwin and Pierre Garcon solidified as starters, James is competing with Taylor, Kendrick Bourne, Aldrick Robinson and Aaron Burbridge for
a backup spot on the 53-man roster.
James showed his versatility with a 33-yard kick return in the game against Dallas, but he was best as a receiver, with Niners quarterbacks having a 150.4
rating when targeting him, according to Pro Football Focus.
"What we love about Richie is that I think you guys can all see is he's fearless with the ball in his hands," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "He's making
good cuts and getting himself after the catch."
Taylor had barely played organized football before getting drafted 223rd overall by the Niners in April. He played only one year in high school and had
just limited experience at Temple because of injuries.
That's why it was so important for Taylor to get as much time as he did against the Cowboys. He played 32 defensive snaps in all, starting at defensive
end in place of the injured Arik Armstead and playing through the fourth
quarter.
He had a few misplays early but delivered the sack that helped set up the game-winning drive.
"It was probably just me getting the jitters out honestly," he said. "This was my first game and I started so it was kind of like, 'Whoa!' Once I settled
down and really got my feet under me, it got easier. It was just playing
football at the end of the day."
Taylor just hasn't done much of it. He went down with season-ending knee injuries in 2015 and '16 and played just 15 games in all on defense in college.
He showed promise as a senior last year with 40 tackles
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He matched up well against No. 6 overall draft pick Quenton Nelson of Notre Dame and had 4 1/2 tackles for loss against undefeated Central Florida to get on
the draft radar.
He has been impressive in camp, which carried over into his first game action as a pro when Shanahan wanted to get him snaps with the starters to see how he'd
fare against tougher competition.
"His arrow is going up," defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. "He does everything right. He plays violent, relentless. He fought his tail off against
the big O-line with the 1s. As the game wore on, the expectation was that he'd
become more dominant and he did. ... He took a really good step."
New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins has been trying to keep his focus on football
since the body of a 25-year-old friend was found in his New Jersey home last
month.
Jenkins' brother, William H. Jenkins, was charged with aggravated manslaughter days after the body of Roosevelt Rene was found in the football
player's Fair Lawn home on June 26.
Addressing the media on Sunday for the first time about the death, Jenkins said he has not spoken to his brother since he was arrested by New York State
Police late last month. He reiterated that he was not in the house when Rene
died.
"My main focus has always been football," Jenkins said. "Things that happened, I can't control, because I wasn't there. Just coming back, being with
my team
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that, I'll leave it at that. It's shocking. But, you know, I've still got to
come and play football."
Janoris Jenkins, who is entering his third season with the Giants after signing a five-year, $62.5 million contract as a free agent, refused to say much
else about the incident.
"It is difficult but at the end of the day you have to be a pro," Janoris said. "Things are going to happen in life. Some things you can't control and
this is one of those situations."
Jenkins has been focused since the Giants starting practicing four days ago. He had an interception on the first day.
"It doesn't make me feel like I am ready," Jenkins said. "It makes me feel like I am taking steps to being ready. Like, I said continuing to
work
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Like the Giants (3-13), Jenkins struggled last season. He was suspended for a game for violating team rules in late October and eventually had his season end
in late November by an ankle injury that required surgery.
Jenkins said he spent the offseason strengthening his ankle and he is excited about the 3-4 defense that new coordinator James Bettcher has installed.
"It's aggressive, lets players play a little and not be robots," Jenkins said, adding he also has been impressed with the new business-like attitude that
fellow cornerback Eli Apple has displayed so far.
Jenkins also is enjoying the opportunity to play against star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in practice every day.
"It just feels good because you know you can compete in practice against a top receiver," said Jenkins, who has 16 interceptions in six seasons. "Me and
him going at it every day; he is going to win, I am going to win. He might win
the whole day, I might win. But it is only getting us better."
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