Kyle Shanahan, 49ers rookies detail training camp impressions before 2026 season

49ers' Kyle Shanahan, Romello Height and De'Zhaun Stribling speak to reporters following San Francisco's practice on Saturday in Santa Clara.

Kyle Shanahan, 49ers rookies detail training camp impressions before 2026 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

View More

Video Transcript

So guys, I think you guys are probably surprised to see me.

I was upset with practice.

Saw Clay getting ready.

Went to talk to him, he's getting ready for this.

I told him I'd do it, so, go ahead.

Kyle, how are you doing?

What kind of improvements have you noticed- I'm doing real good.

My body feels good.

Just gotta get this annoying cast off.

My ribs feel good, except when I sneeze.

And my, my head feels so much better.

You know, concussions do linger a little bit.

You know, only things I really deal with now is just headaches and fatigue, but, that's why I'm not always exactly on the same routine, but pretty damn close.

Is your first day out there, I think, without shades?

Yeah, I've been Yeah.

They, It's not lights that bother me.

I had to wear shades to protect scars and stuff, but I got all my stitches out so I can put tape over it now and, so the tape protects it.

How much do Give a percentage of, like, what you're able to do, as opposed to when you're all the way back.

I think about Well, how much percentage do you guys give media?

Say it again.

How much percentage do you give media?

Um- Oh, that's a big percentage.

Well, then 0%.

As far as, like, the important stuff, I feel it's about 100%, you know?

The biggest thing, like, I've learned with this stuff is, you know, just when you deal with, like, fatigue and headaches and stuff, is if, if I kinda do everything, I kinda pay for it in some ways later.

That's, like, the routine I've found out.

So, like, I've really tried to eliminate stuff that kinda that just, that I would say just the fake work stuff, like, which is a big, important thing, but, like, talking to the media.

You know, having to break down the team every day, doing stuff like that, I've kinda taken it a little bit easier on.

'cause one thing I Like, I haven't missed anything of film.

You know, I watch every single play with the coaches after, with the players.

I have had a few team meetings.

Normally I do it every day, but, you know, it, I do lose a little when I do stuff like that, so I've just picked and choose a little bit more.

But as far as the film and everything, being out there for all the practice periods of going against each other, those are, to me, the most important things in my job and I've been able to do those every day.

Is it your intention to coach the first preseason game next week, or is that still kind of TBD?

Oh, yeah.

No, I'm doing the same stuff, guys.

I just, I try not to come in here every single day, 'cause I feel if I did that, that would take I wanna be able to pull off my normal routine, which is watching hours and hours of tape and getting to the walkthrough at night, being able to watch stuff after that.

Eventually I will get there.

I would've told you I was there seven days ago, and they're like, "Just chill.

Wait to see how you feel tomorrow."

And then I wake up the next morning like, "Damn, I'm glad I didn't say that," 'cause sometimes it's a good day, and then sometimes the next day's a little bit harder.

But as far as the stuff that I think is the most important parts of my job, I've been doing that since day one.

What's been your impression, Kyle, two weeks in, of the, of the team overall from your perspective on the field?

I mean, I, I, I like our, I like our team.

You know, I feel like we came into this camp, better on paper than we did last year.

Just with a number of rookies we were dependent on last year gotta play more, and I love the guys that we've added this year.

By no means do I, you know, see how we are come week one.

We still got a lot of work to do.

I mean, some days we take a step forward, the next day we take two step backs.

But that's training camp, and a number of the guys that we really wanna push to work with, those guys aren't always out there.

So just buying through those things.

You've been such a grinder for so long.

Is it weird having a, a bit of an abbreviated schedule for yourself?

It is.

I mean, I was a little insecure about it at first.

I mean, been a guy, like all of us are, that we could be deathly sick and we're still insecure to go home.

So that's kinda just how we are.

So it was hard on me.

But when I saw kinda the results of some of it, it became easier.

What people tell you is kinda right.

It's like, yeah, all right, I'll be able to tough through that.

And you kinda can tough through anything, but then, then when you pay for it the next day and you're not as good as something else, you start to be like, all right, I didn't have to tough through that 'cause it made me worse the next day.

So those are things I've had to learn a little bit to be better at.

You watch practice now from, like, kind of the deep middle.

It's a different perspective.

Do you enjoy it?

Do you like it?

Is there anything that you see in the deep middle next to Lynch that maybe you didn't see when you're up behind the quarterbacks?

A little bit.

I mean, sometimes it's harder to find the quarterback.

Sometimes it's harder to find the running back.

They just pop.

But you can see the holes and how everything develops.

I mean, that's where I watch it throughout games all the time.

Wherever I am on the field, I'm always about 30 yards away from the line of scrimmage so I can see it, and, so I gotta stand on both sides during games, so I'm used to that.

Things look backwards a lot to me when I'm sitting right in the middle there.

But, I like to be more on the offensive side.

That's the perspective I like.

And, I always like to talk to the quarterbacks and things like that, which you can do more.

But it's been good to be able to communicate with Raheem back, back there and see it from a little different angle.

Kyle, if I could ask two questions.

Um- Yes for starters, how long is the mustache gonna be with you?

It's day to day.

It's probably not gonna stick.

Eventually- What's the- Too many questions about it, I'll probably get rid of it pretty fast.

It's something I always have in the summer.

My friends have been trying to challenge me to keep it for, like, the last four years, and I always shave it the first day back.

But, once they all started joking that it saved my life in the crash, I felt like I owed it a little bit longer, so I'm just gonna keep it a little bit longer.

That's great.

Thank you.

next question is, I want you to feel comfortable, so I have an injury question.

You know, get you back in your routine.

Perfect.

But as far as Bosa, you know, taking off the last few days due to soreness, is there any reason for concern there?

No.

I mean, I never You know, he was doing great and then he got sore just, going through some of the individuals.

So, I mean, you wish that didn't happen.

But no, there's no concern to where something's happened that, is a big setback or anything.

But we'll wait until that soreness goes away and evaluate in why the soreness is happening and, but I still feel pretty good about that.

Yeah, since I wasn't there the other day, Kyle, are, are you mad at yourself for get- getting in the situation?

Yeah.

I mean, anytime you cause an accident that could be avoided, you feel pretty stupid.

I mean, especially when you have a chance to hurt someone else.

And so, like, I mean, I think you get mad when you get a ticket, at yourself.

So, so it's kind of the same.

You know, things that, you know, I think everyone's done to a degree what I've done.

But, you know, dropping a phone and falling all the way to my backseat where I have to fully take my eyes off the road, you know, it's not something that I normally want to do.

I've had autopilot for nine years, so I'm pretty comfortable with it, and, you know, who knows what happened when I turned around, whether it malfunctioned or whether I knocked it off.

That's something that I don't know yet.

But regardless, that's-- it is always your fault.

Whether you're on autopilot or not, you can't take your eyes off the road.

It's a partnership driving.

You don't just turn it over to a computer, and, it's a good lesson on no matter how comfortable I am with that, that I believe someday could save my life or someone else's, or, it's really helped me have perspective on that stuff.

You're the leader of this team.

Obviously, you're asking your players and your coaches to be responsible.

Have you had to speak to that at all to them, like, "Hey, I l-learned from what I did," or, "Don't make this mistake," whatever it might be?

Yeah, I mean, I didn't like sit there and feel like I had to-- I didn't have like a ton of guilt over it or anything.

Like, I think it-it, you know, the word's an accident, and it truly was that way.

But you, you realize how quick and close that stuff can happen, and, you know, when, you know, when you're going at twenty miles an hour, you're not really in your autopilot, yeah, I've-- I honestly have zero worries.

I have so much trust in that stuff.

And that was a good lesson that you can't ever have zero worries.

But I think it definitely could be an example for a lot of people.

Returning to coaching in, in games and noise tolerance, w-will you still be on the sidelines or is it gonna be- Yeah, like I, like I answered all the questions earlier.

That was, I mean, like the first couple days out of practice and depending on what side I was standing on and, you know, AC/DC heard a lot more than some smoother hip-hop.

But I think those days are over.

You know, no noise is gonna bother me like it was.

I actually, I actually have two symptoms I feel like, and that's headaches and fatigue, and that's, that's all I'm feeling right now.

Can you speak a little bit about the support that you received from Raheem and Clay and Chris throughout this process and some of the veterans that stepped up to- Yeah, that's actually been the easiest thing for me.

You know, like, when I had it, like, I would've, if, you know, I would've been shocked if I wasn't able to come here and be able to do everything.

I didn't really-- It's my first concussion.

I didn't really realize how long they would last.

They gave me dates, and I kinda laughed.

They don't give you dates, but they tell you how long to prepare, and I'm like, "Yeah, there's no way that'll last that long."

so I was actually surprised, and it's what they told me from the beginning, so I sh-wouldn't, won't be surprised again.

But, like, each day just watching, our building, all our coaches, starting with Chris to Clay to Raheem to Brandt to everybody, everyone upstairs, our players, it made it really easy for me not to worry about me having to do something.

It's-- Our guys are awesome.

We have a pretty well-oiled machine.

We've been here for-- This is our tenth year.

And those guys made it very easy for me to not do anything stupid.

Will you change your perspec-perspective at all on when players are dealing with concussions and now having gone through it just in a little bit more time?

Yeah, no doubt.

I mean, it's, you know, I've been told so much by these guys, "Don't compare sports concussion to a, an accident like this," and, and I'm starting to realize that now.

But, yeah, just little things like when they label things like whether it's severe or mild and, you know, like you hear someone has a mild one, I'm like, "Oh, all right, well, that might be one game, but usually that's two."

And then you just, you kinda learn those are just words.

Every, every-- each one's a little bit different.

And, I definitely can relate to how scary it is when you don't know if you will feel right again.

But it's, it's definitely made me more educated on it.

I-- Usually, I just listen and like, "Tell me when.

Okay," and I move on.

But, I understand it a lot better and what guys gotta go through and the pro-protocol to get back, which there's not a protocol for me on paper, but, it's really cool to be in a building that kinda majors in that type of, of profession that knows what to do with those things.

So all the people that I need help from, it was already built in here, and they got a lot of experience with it, and it's been really good for me.

Does, Ricky Pearsall's injury, perhaps in combination with what you've seen from Stribling in practices, change the, the plan for Stribling at all?

Make, make you think that he could do maybe a little bit more, this season than perhaps when you drafted him?

I mean, losing Ricky was a real big deal.

I mean, that's, You know, we've had a number of injuries in camp, but that's really the only one that's actually been, not just a camp injury.

And losing a player like Ricky is a huge deal.

It ties to everybody.

So, y-you'd hope for Stribling, you hope for Mike, you hope for all-- that whole group.

You hope a lot of people have to step up, but peop- no one here is wired exactly how Ricky is.

They're all a little bit different, so you do lose a big part of what we were planning on.

And that's where guys do have to step up.

That's why it gets frustrating when guys like Stribling, you know, hurt, tweak a muscle and stuff 'cause, yeah, you want guys to step up, but you gotta train them to do it, they gotta work to do it, and they gotta be out there to be able to do it, at a NFL level, which is coming real fast.

Was there a certain thing that you knew you had to do that kinda proved that you were, were back or were very close?

The team meeting maybe we heard about?

The team meeting was a big step for me.

You know, it was just, you know, when going, I-- The, the concussion stuff just was weird.

Like, just you feel just more emotional and stuff.

I hope people don't take this the wrong way, but I joke with my wife, I'm like, "Now feels like you're in menopause."

Like, it just, it, it's different and you're, you're emotional and things.

So it was different to, like, get in front of groups and things like that.

But, o-o-once you do do that and you get past the, the hard parts of it, it becomes pretty easy.

You just gotta get back to getting used to it.

The main things of getting over-- I thought after my first team meeting, I was like, "Perfect, I'm out of the woods.

I'm good," and felt good most of that day.

But then it hit me real bad that night and then the next day and I was like, "All right, maybe I don't wanna do that every day yet."

And that's kind of the, how everything's gone on this and, I can't tell you guys how close it is.

I'm, I'm getting there.

There's no doubt I will be there.

And from what I do with the team, I kinda already feel there, so- John Lynch was talking about how you were in talks with Deebo Samuel for about a month before it all worked out.

Does re- losing Ricky Pierce also change how you're going to use Deebo Samuel and maybe how much he could do for you?

Not really.

I mean, they're just, two completely different types of players.

So, you know, Deebo was someone that, you know, I was-- we were hoping it would work out, you know, depending on Deebo's other opportunities and what it could be here.

But that was something that we were hoping for a long time could work out and, and ended up working out for both of us.

But that, you know, the Ricky thing changed nothing.

Is this se- is this session that you're having with us now part of your, you know, goal to kind of push yourself as much as you can?

Definitely.

I mean, that's why, that's why they tell me not to plan anything.

That's why like I-- yesterday or a few, it was like a week ago, I'm like, "Guys, I'm doing media tomorrow."

And then I was so glad they didn't tell you guys, 'cause I woke up the next morning, I'm like, "There's no way I can do it right now."

And then, I didn't tell anyone today, but then I just felt like doing it, and I, I wanna do it.

I wanna get, get back to fully 100% being normal and unfortunately, this is part of 100% being normal, so.

You decide that this morning, or was it even during practice or- That was more during practice.

It was actually more when I was trying to talk to Clay about practice, and he was ignoring me, getting ready to talk to you guys.

I was like, "Oh, I'll do, I'll go do it.

I got it right now."

So.

Are there things that you now realize that you can delegate that you haven't been able to do that maybe it's worth delegating in the future?

That, okay, I don't need to do it, so, so many things.

Yes, but I've also done a lot more of that in the last few years than people realize.

I mean, I haven't called a Last year I didn't call one play in pre-season.

You know, I don't always call plays out on the field.

I've started most of that since Clay's gotten here.

I o- I, you know, it's been nice to not have to go to staff meetings.

You know, like we've had some staff meetings where we just go over injuries and stuff and things like that, which I'm always at, and you know, I've, I've missed those, so I could actually focus on a few more film things.

So that's been good and, and just knowing that if you didn't even come, and you just watched a practice, that it's gonna go pretty much the same as if you were there.

You know, you don't know that till you see it, and, that's why I can't speak highly enough about all the guys around here.

Was there any reconciliation you had to do with Deebo after he asked to be traded and how you guys are together now?

Yeah, it's funny h-how like Deebo's whole Deebo's always been one of the closest guys we've been to, just, just relationship-wise.

When Deebo went through his contract negotiations, you try not to put words in his mouth, but I think he thought it'd be advantageous to make it look like there was a little bit of a battle.

Sometimes that helps, sometimes it doesn't.

But I mean, do people forget that Deebo, I mean, that was OTAs.

I mean, I was at Deebo's house, on the eighth OTA day, and us talking about how all that was just BS.

He came to mini camp, like we had a great summer together.

I think he signed the first day back at training camp.

So, well, we got over that in OTAs, and that was just stuff from the negotiating periods back in April and stuff like that.

There were stuff definitely that made me like, "What the hell is going on?

We're not around Deebo."

And then we see him in OTAs, and we get to talk man to man and, and it was, it was fine and as soon as we got with each other.

With Dre, we know- Dre had talked about the, that he reached out to Deebo during that process of like, "Hey, there's no place like San Fran."

Obviously, those guys are kind of tall in center field.

What, what does it mean specifically?

Obviously, you wouldn't bring him back if they couldn't play still, but what does it mean just in terms of like influence and energy in the locker room and things like that to have Deebo- I mean, it's huge.

But it's, I mean, energy in the locker room and stuff, and just how people c- that all comes off of what players see off the field, and I feel like our fans could almost answer that question.

You know, they know what Deebo looks like when he has the ball in his hands.

But Washington fans, just from the year they had with him, know what he looks like when he has the ball in his hands.

I think everyone here knows what Dre looks like and how he plays, and that's exactly how he looked on tape.

You know, didn't get to play a ton last year, coming back from his stuff about half the year, but he looks exactly like the guy that we all know.

So to be able to bring back s-some enforcers like that who play exactly how we want everybody to play, but those are two special dudes that I haven't been around two people like that in my career really, who play that way.

That stuff's huge, just knowing they're in here, gets guys pumped up and, they've been away from a year, but to see 'em out there, they look exactly like the guys I remember.

Howie, you watch a lot of film.

Coaches watch a lot of film.

Does the concussion impact your ability to watch film?

Does it bother you after a lot of, lot of film watching?

It, it did more at first.

You know, I've never had vision issues and stuff, but it's always just been, I'm usually a guy who doesn't get that overstimulated.

I can handle a lot of things and, and now you just, when I do too much film at first, I kinda have to take a little more breaks.

Like I, they make fun of me 'cause I never get bathroom breaks and, now I kinda do.

Halfway through, I tell the coaches to go out.

I take like ten minutes and just relax my eyes a little bit and made it easier.

But, I haven't done that probably in the last five meet, film sessions, so it just shows how much better I'm getting, and that's why I believe that whenever you use words, it can be way off.

But I feel like most of the concussion part to me is almost, is gone, except just fatigue and headaches.

So it's, but being overstimulated, things like that, it's, I'm doing a lot better at.

We've all dealt with injuries in camp again in a second straight year at least.

Has it felt like a lot to you?

Is it, or just in your mind, camp injuries and we'll get through it?

It feel, it feels, I mean, pretty normal, give or take three.

Like, I think it does happen a, a number of times in camp.

We also have a nu- number of guys coming into camp that, didn't go on PUP, that we weren't trying to throw back in there right away.

And that stuff's always frustrating in camp.

That's why you sometimes want it a little bit longer, you know?

That's, but, the thing that frustrates you the most is when you, when you lose a guy and, and there's one guy like that right now, which we've had to grieve for a little bit and, then you gotta figure out how to adjust and move on from it.

Thought process, with the jog through?

We used to go three days on, then take one full day off, and then go three days on again.

Just we look into everything and, we thought that it would be better for us this year to never go three full days in a row.

But if you only go two full days in a row and then take a day off, you don't really build anything.

So we thought it'd be better to go two full days full speed, then have a kind of mental day where they're not totally off their feet.

We're jogging through, no one's competing.

We're not throwing a football, but they're still moving their body, which kinda is a little bit of a recovery.

And then that, then the fourth day, you get our hardest practice of that set, and then you get a day off.

So it ends up being about the same, just trying a different way on how you juggle it, and it makes sense science-wise and everything.

But there's a lot more that goes into it than just science.

What's the expectation of a 33-year-old Mike Evans?

What's that?

What's the expectation of a 33-year-old Mike Evans?

Do you have to expect him to have the same workload as his last healthy season, which was 2024, or are you kind of navigating that as he, returns or gets back healthy?

I mean, yeah, Mike, it depends if he stays healthy.

I mean, Mike, to me, is always I mean, if you're a starting receiver, you're out there a ton.

Mike and, which everyone is, but, you know, he had, I forget what it was last year, maybe hamstring, where he missed time, and when that happens, you miss games.

But, Mike's gonna be a starting receiver here and we don't like any of our guys to go every play.

We want our guys going full speed, and it's hard to go full speed every play, so we're always gonna spell guys, but, hope- You know, he's got a little, quad right now, which, I know Mike, Mike probably believes he could be back right now.

We're being smart with him.

But he's gonna be good to go.

Will, how's your first camp going in the NFL so far?

It's going great.

You know, just trying to stack these days, take it day by day, and get 1% better by the day.

What was the, this is a stupid question, just the jersey number change.

What was that about, going from 94 to 58, back to 94?

Oh, it was, it was nothing to it.

You know, it was just something me and Coach Roth talked about, and it was nothing major.

Like, it was just, you know, something that came to mind and, wanted to go back to 94 and, and we made it happen.

Can you explain what happened with the elbow, too?

You missed today.

How you're coping with that?

Oh, just got a little fluid in there.

Nothing really happened, just a little fluid.

How have you been adjusting to, to the league?

Oh, like I said, I just, man, you know, trying to be where my feet are and just, you know, take it day by day and, you know, continue to stack reps against guys like Trent McKivitz and, you know, just continuously, you know, try to get better by the day, rep by rep, so.

This was the first practice for you, but, like, did you kinda have, like, any kind of, like, starstruck moment or, like, oh, bigger than I thought or any, any kind of thing out of the ordinary that might have shocked you when you were taking your first rep?

Oh yeah, my first rep out there, you know, I had to, it wasn't really, it wasn't really, like a, a, a big thing to me.

It was like I, I already, I already been in this position, you know, going up against, you know, being able to go against guys like Trent, you know.

It was, of, of course we didn't have on pads any, or anything, but man, you know, just lining up in front of guys like him and taking my first rep against a guy like him was a, was a big deal and, you know, I was, it was kinda, you know, like shocking, but, man, you know, I had to put my finger in the dirt and, you know, get off the ball, so.

I'll follow up with this and this'll be my last one 'cause I left when I was getting in, but with the pads on today, like, it was, how big of a difference was it for you just kind of with the pads on actually?

It's not, it's not, it's not too much of a difference, you know.

I'm able to grapple more, you know, be able to, you know, do more things when pads on, but it's, it's not really a big difference when it comes to using my tools and, you know, things like that.

Have you had conversations with some of those vets that you're bringing up, like Trent, and what are those conversations like?

Yes, totally.

You know, after practice I go pick Trent brain and, you know, ask him, ask him what he's seen on, you know, a certain rep and things like that, and he give me great feedback, so.

It seems like both, both, both have been doing the same with you it seemed like those first couple weeks of practice.

Mm-hmm.

What, what are some of the big takeaways that Nick tells you and just your impressions of, of him as a mentor?

Yeah, he, he's a great mentor.

He's been a great mentor so far, and it's just been the little things, the little keys and, you know, just the little techniques and, just the basics, you know.

Footwork, getting off the ball, keying the ball.

It's just the little things that, you know, that he call out and, you know, he come up to me and he, you know, come up to me and I pick his brain and I ask him all the questions I can ask, you know, 'cause he's a, he's one of those, you know, big time guys that, that did it, that's doing it at a very high level, you know.

And he getting to the quarterback and I wanna, you know, figure out how he's getting to the quarterback.

So whenever, after every rep, you know, I ask him what he see.

Like, let me know what you seeing and he'll, you know, call something out and I'll just, you know, try to get better at it.

You've been having a lot of success in the one-on-ones and looks like your spin move's pretty developed.

Are there moves that you could do at Texas Tech that you don't feel, like, comfortable doing yet at the pros, or how do you look at the different things that you can do and what works at this level?

Yes sir.

I honestly been working the same moves that I, I, I've used in college.

You know, c- continuing to, you know, try to perfect those moves against great guys like McKivitz and, Trent Williams.

So I honestly haven't changed my tool bag.

I honestly been working on the same moves to, you know, try to per- perfect it.

What have they been asking you to do outside of being on the edge?

It seems like they're cross-training you as well.

Yeah, yeah.

And that, that's, you know, that's something, you know, I expected coming in here, you know, to be moved around with my body type, you know.

So, I just been, you know, just being where my feet are and, you know, wherever they put me, wherever they move me around at, I just, I, I, I do it.

How are you adjusting to Chris Kyserik being your coach?

Oh, he's a great coach.

You know, I just been taking all, all the, all, the way he coaches, I, I wouldn't be, I wouldn't wanna be coached no other way than how Coach Kyserik coach because- He want his guys to be perfect.

He, he want his guys to be, you know, go all out and give it their all.

So I've just been, honestly, you know, just taking his coaching tips and just giving them my all and taking it by the day, 1%, 1% better.

Is there anything in particular he's asked you to work on or focus on?

Honestly, you know, just gaining ground on that first step.

That's, that's been a big key, honestly, getting off the ball and just gaining more ground on that first step because I can close space quick.

So, you know, honestly, just gaining ground and closing on the tackle quicker.

A couple more.

There's an NFL game coming up for you.

It's Thursday.

What are you most excited for?

Honestly, like I said, I'm just being where my feet are and, you know, continuing to try to stack these days.

So when the game come, it comes.

You have run a line with a lot of really good players that are going through the same thing you're going through in different camps.

Have you had a chance, I mean, time to, to talk to, you know, Hunter or Bailey or any of those guys and kind of compare notes on how the rookie camp is going for them compared to you?

Yeah.

I, them, them my guys, so, I've been, you know, talking to them about how their camp been going, and it's, th- they've been on the road, and it's honestly good to hear that they doing good.

You know, Bailey, wrecking havoc over there and, you know, getting to the quarterback and collapsing the pocket, so Hunter doing the same thing, and it's, you know, good to hear those things from those guys.

What's been the biggest adjustment so far for you being here?

The biggest adjustment, honestly, probably been, you know, just be- just having to, you know, move around and, you know, move to different spots and do different things and, you know, just holding in on that and, you know, taking it by the day, getting 1% better at it, so.

Did you learn it more- Last one just in one position when you were in college?

Yeah, I did.

You know, I p- I did, I did a little, I went back at backer, you know, and you know, they moved me around at times at Texas Tech, so it's honestly not nothing new.

How's camp going for you so far?

It's going great.

Being out there with the guys competing, you know, learning the offense, it's been a great time.

How challenging was it to be, to be on the sideline missing out on some practices?

It was a lot, but kind of just keeping mental reps, you know, staying mentally en- engaged so I know my job, and when my opportunity comes, I just capitalize off of it.

These defensive backs, as I'm sure you can attest, are very, hands-on, gritty.

How have you kind of, handled that, just, the close coverage and, and things like that?

Yeah, just using speed and physicality just to create separation at the top of the route and also during the whole route running, you know?

Is that something that you feel like you came in with, just, being able to use your hands and create separation and things like that?

Yeah, I've always been very confident in it.

Obviously, it's a different level versus college, but kind of just keeping all those tools and just working on it and just becoming better and better every day.

Is that, is that sort of an SC You've, you've played in different, conferences.

Is that something that the SEC had more than other conferences that you, you played in?

Yeah, I mean, there was competition all around.

I wouldn't really say that the SEC would've had more, you know what I mean?

It's kind of just better athletes, better players, you know what I mean?

So kind of just rose to the occasion.

DeJon, is it easier for you to adapt to the NFL since you did play at Ole Miss and Oak State and you played in different systems?

Yeah, just kind of, having the mindset to learn different things, be able to come in and listen, ask questions, take a lot of notes just to, have a better understanding as offense.

What do you learn from a guy like Devo, like Mike Evans?

What do you learn from those guys?

Route running, physicality, you know, the way that they could manipulate routes and the corners and the routes, you know, just getting open, creating separation, having strong hands at the catch point.

And how's your rapport, coming along with, with Brock?

Very good.

You know, he's a very talented guy.

You know, just trying to be, be there for him, you know, asking questions, "What can, what can I do better just to be the best receiver I can be?"

What did you get out of going to Nashville with him and, and Jordan Watkins?

It was a fun trip, fun business trip, but also kind of just getting to know, know everybody better, playing golf with everybody, throwing a lot of routes, you know, just creating a tighter bond.

An extra credit.

You said you're earning Brock's trust.

How do you think you're earning Brock's trust, and what, what's an example?

By getting open and catching the ball, you know, just being a reliable source for him.

That's kind of the main thing.

You know, that's, that's all I can do on my part, you know, just get open, catch the ball, and when it comes to me, catching the score.

How important is it that you are reliable?

How does that feel coming from the franchise quarterback that speaks so highly of you?

Feels good, you know, but it always be better, you know?

So kind of just competing every day, you know, not stopping at that point, you know, just trying to be better and better.

It seems like Mike Evans is very generous with his knowledge, like with the defensive backs.

They've talked about how they've learned from him.

Is he also the same way in your room?

For sure.

Talking, giving coaching points, just kind of helping me, I can be better at this level or, or that level, just seeing things that I don't see.

What, what is, is there anything in particular that he's spoken to you about over the last few days?

Just being physical.

Being physical at the catch point, being physical at the top, using my body, using my speed also.

Speaking of coaching points, you know, Kyle Shanahan, one of his whenever somebody new is here, they get amazed by how Kyle can dissect things on film and stuff.

What was that like in spring, and then how has that changed, I guess, in this training camp?

'Cause it's so unusual where he has to not be as involved as he's getting back to full health.

Yeah, it, it's been great.

You know, I feel like the way that we do things, we do things at a high level, and all the assistants and the coaches kind of have a complete understanding of what we're doing, so it's been, it's been really, really good.

You, because there's different wide receiver positions, they want you to know every spot.

Do you try to master one first and then move on to the others?

How does that work for somebody coming in playing wide receiver in the system?

I feel like for me it's kind of easier knowing the whole picture versus just knowing one spot.

You know, as soon as I know the whole picture, the whole concept, the whole plays, I kind of It's, it's easier to learn different positions in that, you know, 'cause I can understand the concepts and what we're actually doing.

Matt Jones was in here the other day, and he was talking about how when he's throwing the ball to you, a lot of young players will slow down as the ball's approaching, but you still have that same acceleration going through the catch.

Is that something that you have always done through college, or is it just building trust with your quarterbacks?

It's just been repping it, working on it, being confident knowing that I can still run full speed and also track the ball in the air, you know.

It's, it's just really a confidence thing and also just a rep thing, so I'm comfortable with it.

Going from college to the pro, I mean, obviously, you know, we're still in the practice stage and, you know, got a few- got a game, coming up soon here.

But what's been the easiest part of your transition, and what's been the most difficult part of your transition?

I would really say nothing's been easy, you know.

Just kind of adapting to how everything is up here, you know, just the tempo of everything.

Nothing has been too hard, for me, but I also feel like just the play speed level, you know, kind of just timing the snap, being able to jump off the ball full speed and get into my route, you know.

It's definitely different from college and just clapping, you know, or just, you know, having like a silent count versus having an actual cadence.

You're used to playing in front of- You had a- You're used to playing in front of big crowds in the SEC, and your first game in the NFL is coming up this Thursday.

What are you most excited for, and is it a different mindset going into it?

No.

For me, ball is ball.

You know, I'm gonna go out there, do my job, do what I do.

I'm excited to be out there and experience it all, you know, but it's not gonna stop me from doing what I do and catching the ball.

Have you not, have you not had a welcome to the NFL moment yet?

Has it just been standard?

Yeah, not yet.

It's, it's gonna be coming soon, though, I'm pretty sure.

What is it like going up against Diama Lenard?

Is he also generous with his knowledge and, like, after you go through a rep with him?

Yeah, he's very-- he's a savvy guy, you know.

He plays really, really well, the way he can move and stay over top.

You know, he's a very good player, so me going against him every day is just building competition and building better reps. Hey, Johnny, you had-- you and Chambliss had a lot of momentum going at the end of last year.

How long does it take for you to s- to build that rapport with Jones, with Purdy, with the new quarterback that you had a year ago with Trinidad?

Yeah, you can't really put a, put a, put a time limit on it, you know.

It's really just reps and just trust, you know, just knowing each other, knowing what he wants and what I want, you know, and how we can make that both happen and get on, on the same page.

So there's not really like a time limit with it, it's just reps and just being comfortable.

Vincent Stout was saying that he thought you, you used your hands very well in, in creating separation.

Is that, is that hands per se?

Is that sort of arm length and kind of keeping, a defensive back, you know, away from your body?

I mean, what, what are you doing to sort of create that separation?

Yeah, just trying to get on an edge.

Get on an edge, burst him, you know, and then ultimately just push off with my body.

You know, I'm a bigger bodied guy, so just keeping my body in front of him and in front of the ball, you know, using my long arms to reach out and catch the ball.

So just having that kind of physicality at, at the top of the route, you know, creates a lot of separation and makes everything much easier.

Did Vincent Stout surprise you when you look at him at his size and then how he plays?

I mean, he plays like he's six five.

I mean, he's a, he's a-- you know, he's kind of, he's kind of small, but he, he plays unbelievable.

Un- unbelievable effort, very strong guy, very good cover skills also.

Are you taking things just kind of day by day, or have you set expectations for yourself for what you want out of your rookie year?

Yeah, for sure, it's just day by day.

Just trying to be the best person I can be t-today, and when tomorrow comes, trying to be the best person I can be tomorrow.

You know, just kind of not looking too far ahead, but also not just looking at my feet, right?

Kind of just en-envisioning everything, taking it day by day and just being the best I can be.

Is that something that's has-- that you've always kind of-- that you-- has always been your personality, or is that something that's, once you got to the league, you're just kind of taking it slow, taking it day by day?

No, it's kind of always been my mindset, just kind of being in the moment, maximizing the moment, living up to the moment instead of kind of looking the future, you know, and just missing small things that I could've capitalized on in the moment.

Sometimes receivers like to s- look at receivers that are similar and study them a little bit.

Is there a receiver, whether it be in college or here, that you like to watch and you say, "Hey, you know, that guy's got a little bit of what I got"?

A little bit.

When I was in college, I watched, I watched a lot of, of, of Puka's tape, just because of what he did and his physicality as a route runner and catching the ball, scoring touchdowns.

But I learn a lot from the guys mostly in my room.

You know, Ricky, Mike, Deebo, Christian Kirk, so kind of just learning off of them, D Rob.

They do all do a lot of great things, so kind of just stealing things from them, trying it out myself and seeing if it works or not.

Have you asked some of the guys on defense for like feedback, some of the vets like Fred, Deebo, like some, some feedback on how you've been doing against them?

Yeah, we talk a lot just in the sense of like, what were you seeing on this route?

Like, did I sell this enough, or did you bite on this because of this?

You know, just kind of getting feedback so I can learn as a player also of what I'm doing right or, or wrong.

Close