Congratulations.
"Thank you very much."
Did you have an inclination that the 49ers might get you here?
"No, I had no idea. It's definitely a shock, but absolutely thrilled to be a part of the San Francisco 49ers organization and my family and I couldn't be happier."
What do you know about the team you're coming to?
"I know it's got a lot of great history with a lot of great quarterbacks and a lot of great Super Bowls, so that's what we're going to continue to try to do with the 49ers. Just so happy to be a part of it."
What's your understanding of how you fit in the offensive line mix there in San Francisco?
"I don't really have much of an understanding about that at all. You know, I got picked by the 49ers and I'm going to continue to try to do my best as I've always done in football and no matter where they put me or where they see fit that's what I'm going to do and give it my best effort."
How much interaction did you have with the team leading up to this?
"I had a formal interview with them at the combine."
Was that the last time you heard from them?
"It was."
Who did you speak with on the phone when the 49ers picked you? Did you speak with all the brass?
"Yeah. Owner, GM and head coach, so knocked them all three out."
Through your cousin, do you know head coach Kyle Shanahan? Have you heard any stories about playing for Kyle?
"Yeah, I've heard quite a bit about Kyle and he's done obviously a great job both with the Falcons and started with the 49ers. My cousin [Atlanta Falcons QB] Matt [Ryan] has said nothing but great things about Kyle. I'm really excited to get to work with him."
Are you aware of CEO Jed York's connection to Notre Dame?
"I heard he was a Domer in '03. That's about it."
What do you know about the offense and how Kyle Shanahan uses his offensive linemen and what he requires of them in this blocking scheme?
"I don't know a whole lot about it, but I'm ready to learn and I'm ready to give it my best effort and that's what they picked me to do."
I think at Notre Dame you played some right tackle and then moved to left. What was that transition like for you? How hard is it to play both sides?
"I don't think it's that hard anymore, but it was hard at first. I definitely had a learning curve, but I feel like I've mastered both sides and ready to go at either one."
The 49ers like their offensive linemen athletic. Do you think that's your game, being able to get out and run a little bit?
"Absolutely. I feel as though I am a pretty solid athlete and ready to do whatever block they need me to make. I'm going to continue to try to improve that and work to the best of my ability to get all of my blocks accomplished."
Where are you at right now?
"I'm with 150 of my closest family and friends at Giuseppe's Restaurant in Richboro, Pennsylvania, right near my hometown."
I read that the day that your cousin got drafted, I think you were in eighth grade, was the day that you set your NFL goal and obviously now you got drafted. A, is your cousin there and, B, how does it feel to kind of close that circle after you set that goal as an eighth grader?
"It feels pretty good. Getting drafted into the NFL is obviously a dream come true, especially by a great organization like the 49ers. My cousin is not here. He just had two twin boys about a month ago, so he's still home with them. He's been calling me and texting me all day making sure I'm okay. He's given me all the support I needed and like I said it's an absolute dream come true."
Where were you expecting to get drafted? About what range?
"I don't know. I don't really know if I had an expectation. I was just kind of sitting along for the ride. I'm really happy that it was here. I couldn't be more excited to play for the 49ers and get picked ninth overall in the NFL draft."
Can you give us your description of yourself and how you see yourself playing in the NFL?
"My description of myself is just that I'm going to give everything I've got. I don't think, my goals are always to be the best I can be and help my team win and that's all I'm going to continue to try to do. No matter what block I'm asked to make or what team I was on that was going to be the goal and that's what I'm going to bring to the 49ers."
How much outside zone did you run at Notre Dame?
"A decent amount. We used it more as a change up at Notre Dame, but we always had it in our play book and we were always ready to use it when necessary."
What do you know about T Joe Staley? Have you studied his game at all?
"I have. Joe Staley was coached by a couple of my coaches at Notre Dame that have gone on and continued while he played at Central Michigan, so I've studied Joe quite a bit. He's a phenomenal player and an absolute pro from what I hear, so I'm excited to get to know him and get to work with him. It's going to be an awesome experience."
Which coaches were they?
"I think it was [Notre Dame head coach] Coach [Brian] Kelly's staff, actually, at Central Michigan for at least a short period of time while Joe was there. A lot of our strength coaches worked with him, especially [co-director football strength & conditioning] Jake Flint. We used to talk about Joe all the time."
What's your perception from afar of the 49ers? The history, there's obviously a lot of history there, and the history of Notre Dame players, but what was your current kind of perception of them?
"Well, I know that they were an up and coming organization with a great new head coach and a great new quarterback and they proved that at the end of the season last year, winning I think it was five or six or seven consecutive games and proving that they were ready to win in this league. Obviously, like you said, the huge history that comes along with the 49ers is awesome and it's something that I'm ready to continue to try to uphold and bring back to San Francisco."
Did you get to see QB Jimmy Garoppolo play at all?
"I did. I watched a few of his games. He looks amazing."
There were rumors that you were going to come to the 49ers throughout the week. Did you hear any of those? Were you aware of that?
"No, I wasn't. I kind of put my phone on mute pretty much all week this week because I didn't want to hear about what was going on. I didn't want to have any kind of expectations or anything like that. I'm just so excited to be a part of it. Like I said, dream come true."
Do you know anything about if the 49ers had passed on you that the Raiders were going to take you? Have you heard anything along those lines?
"I hadn't heard that, no."
* Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers
