The San Francisco 49ers finished third in the NFC West in 2021 but came within a field goal of representing its conference in the Super Bowl. Despite the success, head coach Kyle Shanahan is preparing a 49ers roster to support new starting quarterback Trey Lance, who has just 178 NFL snaps under his belt.

The 49ers roster is loaded with talent and that talent is going to have to step up to support Lance if the team has any hope of repeating last season’s success. With that in mind, there have already been several players in 49ers training camp who are surprising the coaching staff and fans.

49ers training camp surprises

3. OL Spencer Buford

Much of the 49ers' success last season is thanks to its No. 3-ranked offensive line, per PFF. The weak link on the unit was right guard Daniel Brunskill, who PFF gave a 62.2 grade. That was the third-lowest grade of any player on a top 10 O-line last season.

Brunskill is still on the 49ers roster, but the team lost left guard Laken Tomlinson to the New York Jets in free agency. As such, guard was a position of focus in the 2022 NFL draft for Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

With the No. 134 pick in the fourth round, the Niners took guard Spencer Buford out of the University of Texas at San Antonio.

It’s nearly impossible for NFL teams to pencil in fourth-round picks as Week 1 starters, but after a week or so of 49ers training camp, the organization might be doing just that with Buford. Shanahan has the 6-foot-4, 309-pound lineman starting at RG at training camp now and he already looks like he belongs there.

2. WR Brandon Aiyuk

As well as Deebo Samuel has worked out for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, 2020 first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk has equally disappointed. After a promising rookie season catching 60 balls for 748 yards and five touchdowns, Aiyuk failed to improve upon that in 2021 (56 catches, 826 yards, five TDs).

Additionally, Aiyuk's two fumbles, four drops, and general inconsistency (he didn’t break 100 yards receiving in a game until Week 18) frustrated the team and fans alike.

However, the early reports from 49ers training camp are that Aiyuk has been the MVP of the proceedings thus far.

Veteran safety Jimmy Ward went so far as to tell NBC Sports Bay Area, “Right now he’s having an outstanding camp. I feel like he’s having the best camp out of everyone on the team, offense, and defense.”

If Brandon Aiyuk can have a third-year breakout like Samuel and many other WRs before him, that would be huge for Trey Lance and the 49ers offense.

1. QB Jimmy Garoppolo

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Can a player who isn’t even officially practicing be the most pleasantly surprising player on the 49ers roster? If you’re Jimmy Garoppolo you can be.

Coming off offseason shoulder surgery, Jimmy G isn’t cleared for full practice yet. However, a fan-shot video has emerged of the 30-year-old signal-caller looking smooth tossing the ball around the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara.

Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch, and the 49ers gave away a king’s ransom in 2021 to move up to take Trey Lance. It makes sense that the 49ers training camp is all about cashing in on that investment and getting the young QB ready to start in 2022.

That said, the 49ers roster is a Super Bowl-caliber one, and fans know that with Jimmy G under center, the team can at least reach the NFC Championship Game. If Garoppolo can get back to 100% healthy and be ready on the sideline should Lance get hurt or falter, it will be a very good thing for the 49ers.

And, worst case scenario, a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo means more will come back in a trade if the franchise decides to go that way.