Bay Area NFL draft prospects attend 49ers' pro day at SAP Performance Facility

On '49ers Talk,' Matt Maiocco interviews local Bay Area NFL draft prospects during San Francisco's Pro Day at SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara.

Bay Area NFL draft prospects attend 49ers' pro day at SAP Performance Facility originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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Today was a good day.

It was a good group of people out there.

it was just a great day for football, I can say that.

What, what's the honor to be invited to this?

I mean, since I was a kid growing up in Bayview-Hunters Point, being able to see the old stadium from my window, seeing the fireworks and just saying to myself, "That's, that's somewhere I wanna be one day," it was such an honor to be here and get to practice on this field and get some work in.

This is where I want to be at in football.

Safe to say you Well, it's safe to say you grew up a 49ers fan.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah, definitely.

Definitely.

that was definitely, Jerry, you know, Jerry Rice.

I, I had number 80 as a kid.

I don't know if y'all can find any pictures, but, Little League I was number 80.

That was, that was really my idol.

Do you have a, a early football, 49ers football memory?

I visited Levi Stadium.

I have some pictures.

I visited Levi Stadium when it was first built.

I can't remember the year, but I have some pictures with, with me and some of the, the monuments inside and, some of the, the figures that, people look up to.

Mm-hmm.

Being a Bay Area kid, just kind of illustrate the journey you've been on in this whole process and going to pro days and kind of make your way here today.

Yeah.

so ended, I entered the season, we ended kind of early, didn't have the season we wanted at Arkansas.

truly grateful to be there.

my first stop was the, Senior Bowl.

Did the Senior Bowl.

and then I was training in Dallas, at EXOS, and I went to, the Combine after that.

Then I had pro day, and I've been having 30 visits, and I've been on Zoom with coaches and meeting coaches.

Just like I met, Roy here.

So, you know, the, the process has just been a blessing.

This is something I'd rather be doing rather than doing anything else, honestly.

And obviously you prepare for a process like this because this is the goal when you start to play the game.

What would you say you've learned the most in this process?

I learned the most that it's a business, and, when you step up in front of the cameras like you do now, you know, you, you, you have to be your best self.

Be, just be yourself.

But, at the end of the day, like I said, it's a business, and make sure you wanna be your best self.

just represent yourself and your family and the name that's on my back, and, that's pretty much what I do going forward.

And as far as technique, any things you've picked up since doing pro days with coaches here in the NFL?

Yeah, just, just getting my hips, just, just working on my hip movement.

you know, just, press man, hand placement.

they, they tell me a lot that, you know, if I could fix that up, or if I could, if I could do this consistently, then I could be a great player.

Julian, have you taken any top 30 visits?

yes.

Right now I've, I've taken one to Buffalo, and I have some more lined up.

A- and what does it mean to you to be, what, the first San Francisco Public School football player to get a D1 scholarship since 2001?

You said what is it like?

What is- Yeah.

What, what does it mean to you?

To- I mean, it, it means everything because I, I was able to open that door up for, for the future kids that, that wanna do what I did.

You know, I wanna be able to be a outlet for the kids in my city to be able to reach out, because I didn't know anybody that was going through this process personally growing up or just now.

Like, you know?

So I wanna be able to be that person that the kids could look up to that I, that they could be personal with because, you know, you see me on, on, on TV, or you see me with the cameras, but I want the kids to be able to feel me.

Like, okay, he's real.

You feel me?

So, that's something I wanna be able to do is just give back and let the kids know what this real process is and how to, how to go by, about it.

Well, why do you think there hasn't been a public school player from San Francisco?

Um- You know, you, you being that first one.

I, I just honestly think, San Francisco, the, the public school The public school football isn't taken very serious.

I'd say by the It starts with the parents and then with the kids.

but I would say if we can get San Francisco Public School to start taking football serious with just equipment, facilities, but I know it's San Francisco, but, you know, it just, it, it, it just starts there.

Ha- have you gotten any feedback from kids, like you mentioned, who are like, "Oh, it is possible."

You, you know- Yeah "Julian can do it.

I can do it."

I mean, yeah.

I, I mean, a ton.

I'm, I'm, I'm about to start up a, a, a, a camp for some kids down, my Little League team.

I play for the Bombers, down in Hunters Point, so I'm gonna do a camp and, and just kids all around.

Kids that I grew up with have told me like, "Yeah, once I seen you, you do it, especially with, during COVID," they was like, "That, that pushed me to, to do it."

Were, were you ever told, "No, you can't do that.

Peop- kids from here don't do that"?

I've been told, yeah, by former teammates.

When I was in high school, when I had first got my first D- Division One scholarship, they was like, "That's..." They were like, "There's no way that's real."

They was like, "We don't People, people from around here don't, don't, don't get that."

And, you know, it's people just couldn't believe it at first, and, I don't blame them.

It was, been 20 years, you know, however longer before that.

So, I'm just grateful to be here.

Well, why do you think you and not some other kid along the line?

I don't know.

I would just say, I guess, I'm, I'm just, this is, this was meant for me.

I would say I was, I wasn't as big as I am now, but, I mean, I was a bigger kid.

I was about s- I was about 6- 6'1", 6'2".

So, I mean, I, I think, I think coaches just seen the vision.

They didn't see what I was then, but they seen what they could, what I could become now.

So I'm, I'm grateful, I'm grateful for that.

H- how do you think that journey helps you now going to the NFL?

Yeah.

That, that just lets me know, like, if I just keep going, if I go, if I, if I go on by my pace and do what I have to do and, and I, how I know how to do it, then anything is possible.

I listen to my dad.

My dad tells me every day since I was a kid, like, "You gonna do it, Ju.

Just gotta keep going."

And that's just my, my motto.

Just keep going.

Literally.

What, what are your expectations on draft day?

my expect- my expectations is to get, get, hear my name called, get drafted.

you know, hopefully by the Niners, like, stay in the city.

you know, I'm, I'm not opposed to going anywhere else.

I'm just grateful for the opportunity to hear my name called.Yeah, just this, this whole experience.

When, when did you get here today and did you ever Have you taken a, an opportunity to kinda take a deep breath and, and look at the whole scene?

Yeah, yeah.

I, I took a little tour before here, and it was just, it was, it w- it was a nice, it was a nice view.

just seeing everything, seeing, w- what, how the players are and what they're, what they're doing in off-season voluntary workouts.

it's just something that's very new to me, and I'm, I'm hoping to get used to it.

Did you grow up a 49ers fan?

Yeah, of course.

So you know, me and all my friends are all 49ers fans.

so getting out here is a lot of fun.

really great running routes on this field.

I've been out here a couple times with my family, for some events.

And you know, I've been to a couple games here.

So coming to the practice field and, and running it was really great.

And, you know, it was good to keep myself in the moment here and think, you know, I'm just playing football, not like it's the 49ers field.

Well, why is this the right time for you to, to, you know, declare for the draft and turn pro?

Yeah, I think, you know, I did four years of college.

I got my degree, and I was, ready for the NFL, and, you know, my dream is to play in the NFL, so why risk it?

You know, play another year of college and maybe get hurt or something like that when the door's open here.

And you know, even if I get drafted a round later or a round, two, two rounds later, I've always been an underdog, you know.

Was a walk-on, so it's really not a problem to me.

Did NIL, was that tempting at all?

'Cause you could probably make a lot of money if you went back.

Yeah, you, you probably could, but, you know, probably get just as much with a rookie contract.

Uh-huh.

So I don't mind it, and it wasn't that much of a factor to me.

Right.

Well, going to Texas, for your final season, what, what was the motivating factor there, and how difficult was it just to leave the Bay Area?

Yeah, you know, Cal was definitely my home for three years, and I loved it and loved the program.

Still watched every game at Texas.

But it was about winning at the end of the day, and you know, I wanted to go try and win a national championship.

I know we didn't do it at Texas, but that was my dream, so that's why I went to Texas.

You know, go play there, go play at Ohio State, Georgia, go play A&M at home, go play Oklahoma.

Like, these are some big names you watched- Right when you're a kid.

So going there and playing the Longhorns was, you know, a blessing.

A- and what did that prove to you about your readiness for the NFL, playing on those big stages?

Yeah, I mean, I played against the best, the best of the best.

And, I think I held up pretty well compared to them, so I think I'm You know, there's, there is a big jump coming from college to the NFL.

I'm not saying there isn't.

But I think I'm ready to try and take on that jump and do my best to grow as a player over here.

Do, do you have much of a relationship with Zach Ertz?

occasionally.

Uh-huh.

I've talked to him a couple times.

but you know, he's, he was busy in Philadelphia, then Arizona, and then at the Commanders, so I didn't really see him too much.

But you know, Ta'Quan Mincey I see a couple times a year.

Mm-hmm.

it's always nice talking to him and, you know, working out with him.

Yeah.

you, you mentioned, you know, Fernando, Mendoza transferred.

Did, did that have any role in, in you transferring too, or those kinda independent decisions?

I mean, of course.

You know, he was a guy that gave me, like, 60 catches in one year, and my quarterback was gone.

and it's hard to build trust like that in one year.

and I wish I had more time at Texas so I could've built that trust that I had with Fernando, with Arch.

But I just didn't have the time for it and, you know, obviously at Cal wasn't gonna have the time for it either.

So, it was a factor, you know, but it wasn't all him.

I stayed for the next He transferred in the winter, I transferred in the spring, so I stayed a lot longer.

What was your take on what Fernando did, to, you know, to, to improve his stock to the point where, you know, he's gonna be the, the number one pick in this draft?

Yeah, I mean, he just needed his chance.

and you know, it took a, took going undefeated to really get it.

He was always, he's always been this quarterback, always been the same quarterback.

And, I think, you know, he got a good line around him, some really good receivers, a really good coach around him, and he grew as a quarterback and, you know.

But his, his attributes and what he's been doing outside of the actual field, like watching film, eating right, going to sleep right, you know, not drinking, not doing anything like that, he's always been that guy.

You know, staying there from when we got there at 6:00 a.m. to leaving at 9:00 p.m., and he probably was even later at Indiana, if I'm correct.

Well, I, I'm not asking you to compare these guys, but what was it just like to see, you know, Fernando Mendoza at that stage in his development and then Arch Manning in his stage?

Yeah.

obviously Arch didn't get as much playing time as Fernando did, leading up to his first season, but you know, they're both great leaders and, different players.

Of course, Fernando's more like a I don't know, he's, you know, he's gonna throw a dart, and Arch is gonna throw a great ball too, but he also has, he could probably run a 4.5 right now if he wanted to.

So, defin- definitely two different play styles and, you know, I had a great time playing with Fernando, but I think playing with Arch was electric most of the time when he'd make a big 60-yard run or something, you know.

It's al- always awesome when, you know, you're going out there for the first play of the drive and you're like, "All right, let's go score," and your quarterback does it on the first play himself.

Uh-huh.

You, you mentioned Jake Tonges.

I- is, are there similarities between your games, you think?

Yeah, of course.

you know, I think, you know, we both went to Cal and I could, you know, I don't think we're both oversized, you know what I mean?

I think we're both kinda undersized, like that.

And, you know, I think we're just similar.

I can't tell you how.

but you know, it just, Bay Area guys, I mean, you know, he's a good, good receiver, a great blocker, and I think I'm the same.

Have you ever been invited to Tight Ends University?

No, I don't think they invited college kids unless you're at Vanderbilt.

Uh-huh.

So I tried.

I de- I definitely had some friends at Cal or had some connections, but they're, you know, you can't go, like, from Cal to Vanderbilt.

It's illegal or something.

Ah.

With, you know, I guess probably in your formulative years, you know, George Kittle really took shape as, you know, bigger than football in a lot of ways.

how has his play style in any way influenced you at that position?

Yeah, I love watching his film.

he's, he's shown that he can really do it all, receiving and blocking.

and he's really not the biggest body out there either, or, like, you know, he's very strong, but he's not, like, a super strong body.

so it kinda shows that, you know, you put your technique and your mindset to it and you could really do it all.

he was a great run blocker and obviously an really good receiver, so you know, he kinda shows you can, you can do it all and you don't need to be 280 pounds.

Yeah.

Have you taken the top 30 visits around the league?

No, I have not.

how would you fit into this system?

Has that, has that crossed your mind about, you know, how you'd fit into a Kyle Shanahan system?

I mean, a little bit.

I mean, you know, you kinda, George just kinda does it all, so you know, you gotta be able to pass protect, run block, and you catch the ball, and I think I can do 'em all.

and I think I can, you know, maybe add a little more with perimeter blocking as well.

not more than George, 'cause George is a great player, but you know, I think I could add my own aspect to it, to where I'm, you know, it's like you do it all out there and, yeah, whatever they need, and I know they ask a lot in the system.

Yeah.

But any expectations for draft day?

How are you approaching it?

I don't know.

I'm just, you know, taking it day by day.

Yeah.

And, you know, I'm gonna be with my family, but other than that, probably not gonna be anything too big.

I'm just, you know, take it easy.

Mm-hmm.

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