49ers Talk: Why Trent Williams, Mike Evans were welcome sights at OTA practices
"49ers Talk" hosts Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan break down week two of San Francisco's OTA practices.
49ers Talk: Why Trent Williams, Mike Evans were welcome sights at OTA practices originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
All right, this is 49ers Talk, brought to you by Big O Tires.
At Big O, we're your home for all things tires, from top-of-the-line brands to our O Tech Plus tire warranty that's best in the business.
Your local Big O will find the right tires so you can drive worry-free.
I'm Matt, she's Jennifer, and I guess there was this kind of final day, last day of school vibe- Mm-hmm in Santa Clara, which, I guess in the near future, Levi Stadium will be occupied more by football- Mm-hmm than by football.
Yes.
Coming into the stadium today already, which is Thursday.
No, Wednesday.
Sorry, it's Wednesday today.
It is, it is w- it is sure.
It is, right?
Yeah.
Why not?
It's Wednesday.
Okay.
the Levi signs are already off the building or covered up.
The FIFA signs are all over the building.
They are going to take over.
Yeah, so the, for the World Cup, only sponsors of the World Cup can be apparent in the stadiums, and so that's why if you look at the World Cup website, this is listed as San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, not Levi Stadium.
But- Right Kyle Shanahan, and I, you know, I think there was going to be an immediate, like the way the 49ers schedule was set up, they were gonna wrap up their, their mandatory mini camp and then like right after that was gonna be the, first World Cup game at Levi Stadium.
But Kyle Shanahan has opted, as we thought he might- Right to go ahead and cancel the mandatory mini camp, which explains why Trent Williams, showed up for week two- Right of OTAs because usually he only comes to the mandatory stuff.
So I would imagine that this was kind of the mandatory part for him.
49ers had 100% attendance.
I know when I put that out there on social media some people were saying, "Well, what about Brandon Aiyuk?"
He wasn't there.
Well, he's not on the active roster.
Right.
He remains under contract to the 49ers, but he's not on the active roster.
And new news about his, alleged, can we even, I mean, I'll, I'll go ahead and say alleged speeding- Right even though he recorded it and posted it on social media.
Mm-hmm.
So I know, Santa Clara County is after him for that.
Yeah, and, a recent post on social media he is, kind of discussing a little bit.
I, we don't need to really explain it 'cause there's really no explaining to do 'cause I don't know what the message exactly is.
But Brandon Aiyuk, posted on social media kind of in reference to that, you know, that incident.
So yeah, he's not part of the team.
And man, the wide receivers group though has changed significantly from last year.
Yeah, I think that, that incident has really lessened the trade value that Brandon Aiyuk has, which was nonexistent to begin with.
Which isn't saying a whole lot.
No, it's not.
And I, I mean- It- we, we make fun, but- No I think everybody- The whole thing is unfortunate, right?
Yeah.
Brandon Aiyuk is a talented football player, and a lot of teams in the league would love to have him.
I would think he would want to play football.
The 49ers would love him to play football again.
They wanted him to.
It's not going to happen here in the Bay Area as his home team, but I think all around everybody wants the best for Brandon Aiyuk.
Um- Yeah you know, yeah.
And, and we don't, we don't know if he is intent- Right on playing football.
We don't.
Mm-hmm.
Like, he has shown no signs of- Mm-hmm an urgency to play football.
He didn't do that with the 49ers, for certain, and he hasn't shown a willingness or an urgency and a desire, to play for any team really.
I know there's, you know, he's only following the Washington Commanders on social media and only following, Jayden Daniels and I believe his wife are the- Correct, yeah only three- Mm-hmm accounts he's following.
So he's putting it out there at least that he wants to play for the Washington Commanders.
The question is: Does it make sense for the Commanders- Mm-hmm to go down that road?
And even if it did and they did sign him, I don't think it's anything, it's not a certainty that he is ready to play football and win a roster spot and be the player he was, anywhere near the player he was when we last saw him playing at a high level, which was in the 2023 season.
Yeah.
man, that was a long time ago.
As it turns out, yeah.
Uh- Yeah it was.
It was a long time ago.
And it's different than other positions.
Like, I think, you know, there's the rumors that Aaron Donald is flirting with coming out of retirement.
It's different for a guy who's a pass rusher.
f- the responsibilities of a pass rusher, like those are a lot of times innate God-given talent and skills by a defensive end or defensive tackle to go after the quarterback.
For a wide receiver going into any system, and we, we just spoke to Mac Jones and he talked about having a different offensive coordinator each year, is a lot of adjustment.
So for Brandon Aiyuk, if he were to go to another team, there's a lot of things that have to happen.
He hasn't run a route, he hasn't played football in a really long time, so getting back into football shape and then learning a whole nother offense is a challenge.
Yeah, and the, the other thing, like with Aaron Donald, if, you know, there's been, there, the talk, the chatter that he could come back, you know, his level of commitment and his desire to play football was never in question when Aaron Donald- Right he, he never did anything other than make strides to put himself in the best positions to succeed and maximize his potential, which he did during his Hall of Fame career.
But- Mm-hmm I, I know the reason you bring that up is because the Rams are just, you know, they, they got Miles Garrett earlier in the week trading Jared Verse to the, the Browns and also trading some draft picks there.
Mm-hmm.
And so a lot of 49ers have kinda weighed in on that- Yeah beginning with some of the coaches on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday when some of the players came through, Trent Williams said, um-What did he say?
Good for them.
He said No, well, that was George, Kittle who said- good for them.
Okay.
Trent Williams was, I feel like everybody else feels, basically everybody else who's not associated with the Rams, he said, "It sucks."
So i- it's kinda like, well, Miles Garrett's now with the Rams, you know, Aaron Donald potentially.
We, we shall see.
Mm-hmm.
But, the 49ers wrap up their program, their off-season program.
Kyle Shanahan is, giving the team the rest of the summer off, and I, I think- And, and let's put off in air quotes- Yeah 'cause it, it is off from being here working with coaches on the field in 7s and 11s, but really now the responsibility falls on the players' shoulders to take care of their bodies, to stay in shape, to be ready to go once training camp starts.
So it's, you know, they were responsible, everybody showed up, 100% attendance, so now it's on them to make sure during these 40-plus days away, that they stay healthy, they stay ready so that when training camp comes, there aren't those lingering soft tissue injuries like the hamstrings or the calf strains, that type of thing.
They've gotta stay ready to go.
And, and in some cases get healthy.
Mm-hmm.
You know, George Kittle talked about how he hasn't ruled out playing week one.
you know, we, we s- see Mike Kell Williams working out.
even though I think Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner are healthy, they didn't practice.
I mean, Kyle Shanahan just wants to get through or wanted to get through this period of time.
So, the 49ers, I think when you look at them, and, Nick Bosa, another player who, you know, is certainly aiming, I think, to be ready to start at training camp, but I think when you look at the 49ers this off-season and you project out, you know, the guys that we didn't necessarily see on the field but will be expected to get on the field, I, I don't think there's any question that this is, again, on paper, just like the Rams are on paper the best team in the NFL, right now on paper the 49ers are a much better team than what they were during the 2025 season when they didn't- Yes have so many of those players out there producing on a weekly basis.
Well, especially when you look at the wide receivers room.
I mean, that was a point of weakness for the 49ers in 2025, and now it looks like a position of strength with the addition of Mike Evans and Christian Kirk and Dejon Stribling.
And then you've got guys like Jacob Powling and Jordan Watkins, you know, making an attempt to have a better second season.
I know it's, it's technically Jacob Powling's third season, but he redshirted last year.
But then you have, you know, Ricky Pearsall trying to come back and be healthy.
That's a, a, a really talented group of guys compared to last year when they were signing Kendrick Bourne off the street, you know, early in the season.
So to have that level of talent in the wide receivers room, to go from your position of weakness to a position of strength I think is a huge change.
The one, one player who's healthy and has been practicing, but he w- didn't practice the two days that the media was allowed to watch during OTAs is Christian McCaffrey.
Mike Evans, he wasn't out there the first day that we were allowed to watch, but he was out there here this week, and, he definitely looks the part.
You know- Mm-hmm he talked to the media afterward.
He talked about this being a great roster at the 49ers.
He feels it stacks up with any team in the league.
He talked about how Brock Purdy is a big reason he came here.
he, he's all about business, and he's enjoyed that communication with him.
He also talked about how, you know, his streak of 1,000-yard seasons came to an end last season because of the injuries that he incurred while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He had a broken collarbone in week seven, did not return until week 15.
He only played eight games during the season, but he says that he feels that that injury kind of bittersweet or maybe blessing in disguise- Mm-hmm and feels rejuvenated and refreshed because of the lack of wear and tear that his body went through last season.
I mean, I think we've heard the same kind of thing from veteran players like Trent Williams and George Kittle.
It sucks for them to not be able to play a full season, but they do come back with less wear and tear.
Chris Foerster said about Trent Williams, you know, every time he's out there at practice, you know, "Hey, man, we're taking tread off the tires.
We wanna make sure we keep him healthy as long as possible so that he can play longer."
I think it's the same thing for guys like George Kittle and Mike Evans, and I thought it was interesting that Mike Evans said, "Hey, you know, this is where I wanted to go."
He spoke to George Kittle.
George Kittle gave a little bit of a insight on his recruiting of Mike Evans, but called George Kittle, asked him what the organization was like, what they do for players, and he said, "Okay, I'm here for one reason.
I'm here and it's to win championships, win games," and he's ready to go.
Speaking of the tread on the tires, Trent Williams, he got the contract situation figured out.
He and the 49ers, his agent and the 49ers got it all figured out earlier, much earlier than they did, what, two years ago.
Mm-hmm.
And, and i- it there was just not a whole lot of hassle with this one.
But he is signed through this season to this season and for next season, and, you know, the g- the guaranteed money lines up and everything else.
There's not gonna be a contract issue at the end of this season heading into 2027.
And he basically said without saying it that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as- Yeah his, his career goes, that he's, he's definitely playing this year, we know that, and he, in his mind, he's definitely playing next year, and then after that, the career could be over.
Mm-hmm.
And it's something that he has kind of already come to grips with.
It, it was, he was non-committal as far as- Right like black and white, it's over- Mm-hmm after the 2027 season.
Mm-hmm.
But it certainly felt like that is when he kinda plans to ride off into the sunset.
Right.
It, it could be.
And he talked about his daughter who, you know, was born b- prior to his rookie year, or I think was expected during his rookie year, and now she's 17.
He wants to be there for her, wants to be there, you know, when she goes to college.
But he also did say if she said, "Hey, Dad, I want to see you play till you're 40," he might be motivated to do that.
Yeah, I remember when Trent Williams broke into the NFL, I was just starting kindergarten.
And, I just remember him being- 'cause I had aspirations of being a left tackle in the NFL- Mm-hmm so it's been fun to- Mm-hmm to watch his, career progress.
Mike Evans, a guy who, it's funny, 'cause when, someone noted, Trent Williams refers to you as a future Hall of Famer- Hall of Famer and Mike Evans was kind of like, "Oh, wow, that's great."
You know, "One Hall of Fame player telling me I'm a Hall of Fame player."
But, you can definitely see, you notice the shirt that Mike Evans was wearing?
Mm-hmm.
"Humble over hype."
Yes.
That's the T-shirt that he was wearing when he spoke to the media, and that's kind of been, you know, his- His MO yeah.
His calling card.
Yeah.
And I asked Leonard Hankerson, the wide receivers coach, yesterday, "I mean, is it true that he's egoless?"
I mean, everybody has an ego, but just, you know, more grounded.
He said, "He sits in the front of the meeting room, pays attention.
He's not in the back like, 'Oh, oh, I've got this.'
He's in the front of the room paying attention.
When he sees something that he doesn't quite understand or he has a question about, he asks the question, listens intently, and when he's on the field, it's not ever the same mistake twice."
Yeah, and the very first play of practice was Brock Purdy, a very nice little timing route, an out- out cutting route, right at the sideline, Brock Purdy to Mike Evans.
And then the rest of the practice was some of the guys we talked about last week on our last, podcast, but I would say a lot more Dejon Stribling- Mm-hmm getting deep both sides- Right r- running those, those, post patterns- Mm-hmm getting deep, beating some, some guys who are starting.
He got, I know one of the passes was a deep throw from Brock Purdy.
I think the other one's a deep throw from Adrian Martinez, but- Mm-hmm Stribling, that's one thing in, in talking to Hankerson on Wednesday or Tuesday, and then just hearing people talk about him like he's made a very good first impression.
First impression, yes.
And, one of the passes that was from Brock Purdy, it wasn't like he was being covered by another rookie.
He was being covered by Deommodore Lenoir, so it was a nice outbreaking route to the left side, and he got a little bit of opening.
Brock Purdy knew exactly where to put it, and Dejon Stribling made the reception.
And then some of the other guys, you know, another good practice for Jacob Cowing.
Mm-hmm.
And, DeMarcus Robinson did some- Mm-hmm good things.
I kind of got into, I wouldn't say heated discussion, I mean, no, no one raised their voices, but a discussion on the sideline with, with somebody here about how the 49ers wide receivers stacked up.
And, you know, I'm of the opinion that DeMarcus Robinson is going to be in a fight for a roster spot, and, the other person was like, "But, you know, he's a pro, he's a veteran, he's been around."
And all that is true, but when you look at the 49ers wide receivers, you know, there's gonna be a, a player, either a guy who's done it before or a promising young player who's not gonna be on the 53-man.
Right.
And, you know, o- obviously Evans makes the team, Stribling makes the team, Pearsall makes the team.
They're gonna have to have, you know, a return specialist.
Is that Jacob Cowing?
Sure looks like it to me.
So there's four guys right there.
Then you have, Christian Kirk, you have Jordan Watkins.
Watkins has shown some stuff- Mm-hmm in, and DeMarcus Robinson.
So, the- I think that what you said is key.
It's the return game.
I think that's definitely key for a guy like Jacob Cowing.
Now, he had two misses in practice on Wednesday, but that doesn't mean he hasn't made a lot more, returns, and that, this is out of the JUGS, not a full line, not full coverage, but just making the catch out of the JUGS machine, had two misses.
He wasn't the only one who had two muffs, but, you know, he's got to make every single one of those r- plays during training camp- Yeah because that's gonna be a tight competition.
Jordan Watkins was back there, and previously on another day, I saw Christian Kirk back there as well.
All right, we're back on 49ers Talk, brought to you by your local Toyota dealers.
Toyota, let's go places.
what we saw on the practice field on Wednesday, the defense getting their hands on the football.
They gave up some plays- Mm-hmm over the top.
They also made some plays.
We, we heard from Raheem Morris, but, a few interceptions out there.
M- Malik Mustafa had a pick, Dorel Ludor had a pick- Mm-hmm and also Eli Apple.
So, I saw Jack Jones, the veteran who's started a lot of games here in the NFL recently.
he got his hands on the football, broke up some passes.
I, I think there's a chance that there is a competition at that cornerback spot opposite of Deommodore Lenoir.
Like I, I know all along I've been talking about, you know, their, their starting cornerbacks are set with Deommodore Lenoir, quite clearly, and Renardo Green.
I'm, I'm not so certain about that now.
I think that there might be an opportunity there if a guy like Jack Jones steps up, that he pushes Renardo Green and makes him, makes him fight for it.
Yeah, I mean, that's what the safety position will be as well.
I think there's gonna be a lot of competition throughout the defense.
And, you know, it's a new defensive corner that they have to impress ultimately to get their starting position.
There's a lot of safeties and defensive backs out there right now with the full 90 complement, and it'll be interesting to see.
I asked Raheem Morris specifically about Malik Mustafa, who he kind of called over.
There was a deep pass to Jacob Cowing that was for a touchdown, I think it was like a 50-yard pass, and Malik Mustafa kind of walked slowly with his helmet off to rejoin the defense after the play was over.
And I think maybe two plays later, Raheem Morris, I don't know whether he summoned Malik Mustafa over, but-Mustafa kind of jogged over.
They had a long talk, you know, while defense was going on.
Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw were nearby.
And then Malik Mustafa kind of jogged back over to the defense, and Raheem Morris said, you know, it was a teaching moment.
You know, that's He's a guy who has been very impressive, obviously getting his hands on the ball, but also it's about consistency, right?
They need to be consistent to get that starting spot, not that Malik Mustafa's position is in question, but just to be a better player going forward.
Yeah.
I heard you say that word and it reminded me, I, I might have jury duty next week.
Uh-oh.
Yeah, so Cal Shanahan excuses- the team for the, for the mandatory mini camp.
I might be stuck in court, but- Oh that's doing your civic duty.
It is.
And I'm looking forward to that.
Mm-hmm.
Now I would have the time and not miss any practices- All right potentially.
Mm-hmm.
so yeah, there is competition there at safety.
The 49ers added a safety, and my question was, what took them so long to add Ashton Davis?
And this is a guy, a year ago- Yeah I thought would be coming to the 49ers because of Brant Boyer- Mm-hmm the 49ers special teams coordinator, first year with the 49ers last year.
One of his core special teams guys was Ashton Davis, a Santa Cruz native, went to Cal, was a track guy, a football guy at Cal, and he played his first, I think, five seasons with the Jets.
And he ended up playing last year with Miami.
He's started a lot of games, but adds to that competition at safety as a guy who can play safety, and there's, there's gonna be competition at safety.
I think Malik Mustafa, I think he's pretty much wrapped up or- Mm-hmm assured of being a starter.
Right.
Then, then who's it gonna be?
Is it Ji'Ayir Brown?
Is it, is it Marquise Siegel?
Neither one of those guys has really locked down that position, so Ashton Davis comes in and will have an opportunity, but at the very least could be a core special teams player for a special teams coordinator that he knows and has played with a lot.
Right, and special teams had its ups and downs last year.
I'm sure they wanna have a better season this year, and, you know, watching the returns and, and the coverage, it's something that you do need guys that are there specifically for that.
There's a little bit of turnover in those guys coming into this season, so I can see why Brant Boyer would wanna bring someone he knows into the, into the field.
Yeah, and I, I think the special teams were so much better last year until they weren't.
You know?
They, they, they were so much better the year before, the year before that.
I mean, it was- Mm-hmm disastrous.
But then, you know, Eddie Pinero came in- and kinda solidified that- Right spot, and- Skymore was good at returns.
Mm-hmm Skymore was good.
They were generally pretty good until that divisional round game that got out of hand in an early, in large part by that kickoff return for a touchdown.
Mm-hmm.
So that's something they have to shore up.
But you know what I would say, Jennifer, is just, again, on paper, I, I think this is a better team.
You know, I think it's, it's more, it looks more explosive.
Mm-hmm.
I, I was again struck by Kalon Black, the way he runs, the way he looks.
he made a nice catch out of the backfield on a ball.
I, I think this ha- I think this team, in my mind, is better than it was last year, which I, I, I don't know if that's saying a whole lot.
Well, last year also was that whole rookie influx, right?
They had 11 picks- But with the injuries and all that, right?
And injuries, right.
But I mean, even at the beginning of the season, if you're going from point A last year to, to looking at point A this year, that there was that whole kind of washing of a lot of the veterans who left.
It was a lot of rookies coming in.
11 rookies who stayed on the roster.
So you've got those guys who are all second-year players now, few less rookies this year, but it, you know, and then the free agents that they added, really I think especially in the wide receiver room.
Yeah, I think so too.
So I think, I think the 49ers are improved, and I think the Rams are quite clearly improved.
I, I think it's gonna be a fun season, and I think that, you know, the w- in, you know, like hearing what Trent Williams had to say, you know, that season of 2024, you know, what did he call it?
Like, a disastrous season or- He said it was an S show.
Yeah, he did say it was an S show.
I would try and be- He said, "Excuse my language, it was an S show."
It was.
but he said that just going through last year, there were a couple things he said that I, that I found, found interesting.
One was he felt like it, it lit the fire, relit the fire of that feeling of being- Mm-hmm one of the best teams in the league and going to the NFC Championship game and, and the Super Bowl and all that.
He also talked about how last year's team showed, you know, the resilience and, and the ability to overcome adversity.
But he said, "I hope we don't have to show how resilient we are, that we can just show how dominant we are and be the team that they believe that they can be."
Mm-hmm.
And that ultimately is going to determine how this team does.
I think they're, I think they, they, they're a good team.
Their, their, nucleus is a veteran group of players who've been around a long time, who knows, they know what it takes.
Now it's just a matter of making through, making it through that gauntlet, that, that grind of a season so that they're playing their best football when the games matter most.
And a grind of a season with a ton of travel, a ton of travel.
When George Kittle was asked, you know, "What is it, you know, is that going to affect the game plan?
Is it gonna affect the season traveling to Melbourne?"
He's like, "Yeah, 16-hour flight, first game of the season.
No, it's not gonna affect it at all."
Yeah.
Yeah.
It'll be You know another guy, I'm, I'm gonna give props, and again, it's, it's training or whatever, it's off-season programs, OTAs, it, it, it really doesn't matter, but number nine, Braden Willis.
I thought he looked really good.
I mean, better than he ever has before, and he's entering, you know, he's been around a while, has never really solidified his spot on the roster.
But you know, I, I was watching him and just thinking ahead to, you know, if George Kittle does-End up not playing early in the season.
Not that they would necessarily need him to start on PUP.
Like, if they think, "Let's not take any chances week one."
Like, he's ready to go, but let's not take any chances because of the- The travel yeah, the 16 or 17 hours or whatever it is on the plane there, the plane back.
If they just say, "Hey, let's, let's shut him down for a couple weeks."
You know, they'll put him on PUP so he has to miss the first four games.
Mm-hmm.
you know, Braden Willis is a guy that, I think the 49ers, you know, he needs to put himself in a position where he can help complement Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell, and be a guy who plays, you know, until Kittle's ready to go.
Mm-hmm.
And I know there was a, you know, not disappointment necessarily, but I think because Luke Farrell was such a bigger free agent acquisition last year, I think the expectations were high that he was gonna make more of an impact on the game, and I asked Ken Clemens, the tight ends coach, you know, what is it about Luke Farrell?
Where is he this year as opposed to last year?
You know, was it really him not performing to what the expectations were?
And he said, "You know, I think it was just him being a new system."
Him now going through a year of being in Kyle Shanahan's offense, he's ready to go.
I think he's more set and more prepared to have a better season this year.
Yeah.
So I, I would think, you know, the depth is probably better throughout, the team.
I, and I think that goes for the offensive line with some, some quality veteran backup types that they've added.
you know, bringing Dre Greenlaw back, that certainly helps.
Of course, they traded away Dee Winters.
It looks like there's, you know, more competition, maybe deeper in the defensive backfield.
So yeah, I think, you know, by and large they've, they've improved their team, and Osa Digizuah coming in- Mm-hmm that, that helps.
Now, they lost some guys like Jordan Elliott and Klea Davis- Mm-hmm and, Clelin Ferrell is still out there.
So they've lost some guys on the defensive line, but, Digizuah, that certainly helps.
So, you know, I, I don't think they added certainly not the splash of the LA Rams- Mm-hmm but they're improved.
Not to the level, you know, like they didn't add a Trent McDuffie necessarily.
Well, I guess you could say Mike Evans and- Yeah Osa Digizuah, tho- those guys aren't chopped liver.
No.
But, I mean, they've added some good players, for sure.
But then when the Rams, you know, are adding those guys and then just come in with the haymaker of Myles Garrett, it, it just makes everybody kind of sit up and take notice.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, no, I think outside of defensive line, I know they have improved.
Osa Digizuah is going to make a nice difference in the interior of the defensive line, but they also have to get those guys back.
It's Mykel Williams coming back.
It's Nick Bosa coming back.
I saw Alfred Collins working on the side field, you know, coming back from shoulder surgery.
It's Keon White.
Those four guys were not on the field at all during OTAs, and that, that doesn't mean that they won't be ready for training camp, but it is getting guys who were injured last year back into the fold and getting them ready for week one.
So as long as they're healthy, yes, they are improved.
And they do need, you know, some contributions from the rookies- Mm-hmm the young guys.
Right.
You know, I think they got, they got good, pretty good contributions last year from the rookie class.
You know, I think the door really is open for Stribling to make an immediate contribution.
I think the door is certainly open for Ramello Hight- Mm-hmm defensive end, to make a, a very dramatic improvement with, at the edge rusher spot.
And then Kaylon Black, looks to be a kinda guy that potentially could earn his way into giving Christian McCaffrey more breaks than he's had in the past.
More support, yeah.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
And then after that, you know, I, I do think, early on probably when we were talking on 49ers Talk, my opinion was that Carver Willis had a really good chance, and he was probably my, you know, prediction of being the starting left guard.
I think I've come off that.
I think Connor Colby is probably, like, if I were to kinda talk about a horse race- Mm-hmm you know, coming down the stretch- Sure or whatever, that's probably I mean, it's not even coming down the stretch at this point.
That's not- No until training camp.
But I would say that Connor Colby looks maybe like he's put himself in a position so that when the pads go on- Mm-hmm he can take that job.
I mean, and again, it's a challenge for rookies to learn Kyle Shanahan's offensive system, and we've seen it repeatedly with especially wide receivers.
But that goes for linemen as well, to know what the keys are, to know what the signals are, to be able to read what they're supposed to do, and Kyle Shanahan's offense is not easy.
There's a lot of pre-snap motions.
There's a lot of movement.
There's a lot of, you know, I guess, stunts where the offensive line has to move side to side.
So being able to know exactly where he's supposed to be, it's hard for a rookie.
We saw Connor Colby go in there and have some, some good plays, but then also had some, some challenges as well.
So a full season of getting some playing time and getting a lot of practice, he's going to be better, I would think, at least set up to be better in his second season.
Mm-hmm.
you know, you know what you got before we, before school's out for session?
I know.
What is it?
HAGS?
Have a great summer?
Oh, God, I haven't heard that in ages.
Oh, there we go.
We're- Wow.
That, are, are you signing my yearbook?
Y- yeah, absolutely.
Okay.
All right.
I, one thing that struck me is when this is the first time we've seen Osa Digizuah in person, you know, I think you asked him about getting the news that he was going to be traded.
He's like, "Yeah, it wasn't great.
You never wanna get that call in the afternoon."
But I think now that he's been here to-Be, you know, welcomed by the locker room.
Still a little bit like- I think he's still not thrilled about- Yeah the trade.
At least that was the vibes he was giving off.
Yeah.
Yeah, at least at the beginning.
'Cause, 'cause somebody said like, "When did, when did you start to like feel good about it?"
And he didn't say- Yeah, didn't really say anything he said, he said, "Well, it took a while."
Yeah.
So I kinda took that to mean like he's still- Mm-hmm trying to get through it.
But I, I think, like he said, he's like to feel needed, and they do need him.
Mm-hmm.
So I think as the season progresses, as training camp goes on, when he feels more needed and he finds his role, I think it'll be a boon for the 49ers defensive line.
They, they do need that extra pass rush from the interior.
Yeah, they definitely do because I don't know that the pass rush, other than, you know, from- Other than Nick Bosa that it's gonna be, you know, like something they can count on.
Mm-hmm.
You know, they, they, they're hoping.
Mm-hmm.
They're hoping that Ramello Hyde- Right is, is all that.
They're hoping that, you know, whomever else.
Mm-hmm.
Sam Okwuonu, they hope he improves those numbers.
Mm-hmm.
They hope Michael Williams comes back healthy.
And, and yeah, they, they just need a l- I think, I think that's still the position where a lot of stuff has to go right- Mm-hmm for them to kind of maximize what they can do defensively.
Yeah, so if, if Osa Odighizuwa has a Pro Bowl type of year, then maybe he'll be happy.
You just like to say Osa Odighizuwa, don't you?
I think you like to say it.
I do.
You are absolutely correct.
And I do love to say Osa Odighizuwa.
All right, Jennifer, it's been a, it's been a great off-season- Quick, quick off-season very quick off-season- Wow program.
Two practices.
Yeah, it's the quickest off-season program in the history of mankind.
In the history of your career as a sportswriter?
I think so.
Wow.
I think so.
Mm-hmm.
I'm not complaining.
No.
I'm not complaining.
All right.
So, we'll be back here.
We'll, we'll continue obviously, for all the 49ers updates and reports and observations- Mm-hmm and notes and opinions here on 49ers Talk.
But the next time we'll be right here in Santa Clara inside Levi Stadium, at the practice facility.
We'll be late July when training camp kicks off.
