Jim Harbaugh, who has a history of defending his players, has come out in support of A.J. Jenkins. Harbaugh has ripped reporters who criticized Jenkins, who the 49ers selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. "A.J Jenkins was an outstanding football player when he got here," Harbaugh said. "His progress has been very, very good, and exceeded expectations. "For those -- the scribes, pundits, so-called experts -- who have gone so far as to say that he's going to be a bust, should just stop. I recommend that because they're making themselves look more clueless than they already did. "I'll go on record: A.J. is going to be an outstanding football player. So far in camp and what he's done in the offseason has led us to believe nothing but he'll be an outstanding football player in the National Football League."

49ers safety Dashon Goldson signed his one-year franchise tender and reported to training camp on Thursday. The team also signed offensive lineman Leonard Davis to a one-year contract. Goldson, whose franchise-tag number is approximately $6.2M, was unable to reach an agreement with the team prior to the NFL's deadline.

49ers quarterback Alex Smith has "mixed emotions" about the bounty program that targeted him during last season's NFC playoffs. Before his final game as Saints defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams offered cash to the player who struck Smith in the head. "Every single one of you, before you get off the pile, affect the head. Early, affect the head. Continue, touch and hit the head," an audio recording captured Williams saying. "Never heard a speech like it before," Smith told ESPN's Ed Werder. "As a QB, I expect defenses to go after me. I expect it in the confines of the rules, no question, but if a guy's got an open hit on me, I plan for them to give me everything they've got. I have mixed emotions. As a QB, I feel like every defense is out to get me. I think a lot of QBs feel the same way. We all just want to play within the rules."

The 49ers didn't reach a long-deal with safety Dashon Goldson and it may be some time before they get an extension done with anyone. With nearly $3.4 million in salary cap room, the 49ers aren't in a position to do a lot of deals, and that grooves with their pending free agent list.

The deadline for franchised players to sign multiyear contracts has passed and three of those players remain unsigned. Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, Lions defensive end Cliff Avril and 49ers safety Dashon Goldson haven't signed their franchise tenders. The trio are all expected to sign their one-year franchise tenders eventually, but all of them may decide to take their time, possibly skipping training camp and waiting until just before the start of the regular season. Six more franchise players have signed their one-year tender offers and will play out the 2012 season for the franchise salary: Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes, Patriots receiver Wes Welker, Redskins tight end Fred Davis, Bengals kicker Mike Nugent, Browns kicker Phil Dawson and Cowboys linebacker Anthony Spencer.

Brandon Jacobs signed a one-year, $1.575 million deal with the 49ers this offseason after he couldn't come to terms with the Giants. "It was just money, that's all it was, a couple hundred thousand (dollars)," Jacobs told Jim Rome. If it came down to "just a couple hundred thousand bucks," Rome asked, wouldn't the Giants want to bring Jacobs back? "You would think so," Jacobs said.

Dashon Goldson would like a little more long-term security, but the 49ers safety is prepared for the possibility that he will have to play out the season under his $6.212 million franchise tag. "I'm hoping something long term will happen," Goldson said during a Tuesday appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I'm not taking anything personally. I look at it as a business move on (San Francisco's) part. That's just the business. "If I have to play for the tag, I'll play for the tag. But any guy would love long-term security."

Jim Harbaugh isn't trying to avoid the hype surrounding Randy Moss and his place with the 49ers. Rich Gannon said Harbaugh calls Moss the team's "best receiver right now," while praising his positive effect on teammates. "At the end of the meeting, Randy turned to Jim Harbaugh and said, 'Coach, what do you want me to do, what can I do for you?'" Gannon told SiriusXM NFL Radio. "And Jim looked at him and said, 'For starters, I'd like you to sit in the front row of my meetings.' "He said by doing that it's brought guys like (Michael) Crabtree, who'd hang out in the back, and some of these other young guys, now they're sitting up front with Randy Moss," he said. "They don't have the hoodies on anymore. They're alert. They're paying attention. Randy's taking notes. Every meeting that coach has had, Randy Moss has been sitting in the front row."

49ers rookie wide receiver A.J. Jenkins will need to increase his upper-body strength in order to make an impact this season, according to a report. Multiple sources told Pro Football Weekly that the first-round pick will have trouble against press coverage if he doesn't bulk up. "He hasn't looked very good," a source told Pro Football Weekly. "He displayed some flashes with a few really difficult catches, but he's also looked really bad at times and he seems to have had problems staying on his feet. "It's early. Maybe he'll show more in training camp."

Alex Smith was asked Thursday morning about his controversial comments this spring regarding Cam Newton. The 49ers quarterback had referenced the rookie's gaudy numbers not meshing with Carolina's 6-10 record. On Thursday, Smith reiterated his belief there is no correlation between passing yards and victories, although he did note that "obviously I got carried away there" by citing Newton's Panthers as an example. "I was going after more of the passing-yards statistic and I don't really believe there's a great correlation to winning in the NFL," Smith added. "I don't. I don't buy it. If you're looking for a statistic that has a better correlation to winning, it's probably yards-per-attempt."