49ers practice notes: Moss gets deep on 2-minute drill

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SANTA CLARA -- Coming back off the Memorial Day weekend, seven prominent 49ers were not on the practice field Tuesday at the team's training complex.
Receivers Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham, tight end Vernon Davis, right tackle Anthony Davis, and defensive backs Donte Whitner, Chris Culliver and unsigned franchise player Dashon Goldson did not take part in the voluntary practice. Culliver was seen at the practice facility earlier in the day.
It was believed to be the first day of the 49ers' offseason program that Crabtree missed. Terms of Crabtree's contract require him to attend 90-percent of the team's voluntary work to receive millions of dollars in salary through 2014.
Here are some of the highlights of the two-hour practice:--Alex Boone, who is atop the depth chart at right guard, moved to right tackle with starter Anthony Davis' absence. Rookie Mike Person was inserted at right guard with the first team, while Daniel Kilgore practiced at center with the second team.--Randy Moss and Kyle Williams were the first-team receivers, while C.J. Spillman and rookie Trenton Robinson handled the first-team reps at safety.
--Defensive back Cory Nelms and defensive lineman Will Tukuafu practiced with the offense. Nelms ran patterns at wide receiver and Tukuafu saw action as fullback Bruce Miller's backup. Nelms dropped a couple passes, but beat rookie cornerback Anthony Mosley on a deep pass from Josh Johnson during one-one-one.--During a two-minute drill to conclude practice, quarterback Alex Smith hit Randy Moss on a 45-yard pass down the right sideline against unsuspecting rookie cornerback Deante' Purvis. Moss gave no indication the ball was en route and Purvis never turned around as Moss gently reached up to catch the pass and stepped out of bounds. The 49ers' first-team offense scored on Smith's short-pass to Kyle Williams on fourth down.--The No. 2 offense stalled against the starting defense despite Colin Kaepernick tearing off on a long run. NaVorro Bowman and Ahmad Brooks had sacks in the non-contact drill. The drive ended when Patrick Willis (inadvertently) threw down tight end Konrad Reuland after a short pass on fourth down.--Kaepernick continues to work with the 49ers' No. 2 offense, as he tries to win the backup job over Josh Johnson. "I feel like I'm leaps and bounds ahead of where I was last year," Kaepernick said, "as far as being comfortable with this offense and being able to go out there and execute. Everything comes so much more natural now."Kaepernick's accuracy comes and goes as he tries to tighten up his throwing motion. "They'll do little things here and there to help me get the ball out a little quicker, but they're not doing anything dramatic," Kaepernick said of the coaching staff's work with his mechanics.
--Rookie receiver A.J. Jenkins had some good tussles against cornerback Perrish Cox during one-on-one. Jenkins held onto a Johnson pass at the sideline despite contact that knocked both players to the ground. Cox later broke up a Scott Tolzien pass. Later, working against safety Trenton Robinson, Jenkins appeared to push off to make a back-shoulder catch of a Johnson pass.--There will not be another practice open to the media until next week.

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