When wide receiver Pierre Garçon entered the league, he had the benefit of learning from players like Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark.
"It was easy to fall in line because they were winning and doing everything correctly, very detailed about everything, and being ready for their seasons," Garçon said of those players on Sunday.
Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in May of 2017. He spent his first few weeks in the NFL watching and absorbing as much as he could from the team's most experienced wideout – Garçon.
Bourne's stats last season were unremarkable. This offseason, however, he is turning some heads.
"He's doing really well," Garçon said. "We're happy for him because he's a very, very good guy. A very nice guy, always having fun, always enjoying it. He came in with a lot of talent. He's playing well, catching the ball real well, gets in and out of routes well, and makes plays. He makes them from jumping to creating separation on tight coverage.
"When you come in, you always try to watch the guys ahead of you because they've been there and that's what I did when I came into the league. It's kind of like a routine. You just watch the guy in front of you to be where they at because they've been through it.
"[Bourne is] definitely learning fast, learning well. He's definitely going to help us a lot this year."
Second-year receiver Trent Taylor has missed a lot of time this offseason due to a back injury. That has opened the window for Dante Pettis to get more reps, and the rookie receiver is turning a few heads of his own. Garçon believes the added work is paying off for Pettis, who already looks much improved since the OTAs and minicamps.
"Once he gets it going, gets familiar with playing in the NFL, he'll definitely be great because he's got speed, he's got agility, he can catch, and he can make guys miss," Garçon said. "He's definitely one of the good guys who's going to help us later on in the year once he gets comfortable being here."
Garçon was merely an observer during the 49ers' five-game win streak to end last season. His season ended with a neck injury two weeks before the team earned its first victory of the year. Garçon never had an opportunity to put on pads and catch passes from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, whom the team acquired via a mid-season trade.
Sunday was the first time Garçon had a chance to catch a Garoppolo pass during 11-on-11s. It was the closest to a game situation on which the two have been able to work together. Coming away from Sunday's practice, you could tell there was still work to be done. There was still some chemistry to develop.
"He's one of those guys that comes in, works hard every day," Garoppolo said of Garçon on Sunday. "You really appreciate that as a quarterback. It just sets the standard for the rest of the receivers. He's got a unique skill set to him. He's so powerful. When he separates from the corner, when he catches it, any one of them could be a house call. That's how physical and how fast he is. It's good to have him out there always, but we're working on the connection still, obviously."
Garçon knows it's his job to catch the football no matter who is throwing it. But after playing the role of a spectator last year as his teammates found success down the stretch, the veteran receiver is happy to finally be working with Garoppolo.
"I'm definitely happy we got Jimmy as our quarterback," Garçon said. "All the receivers are working harder. Everybody's excited. Everybody's got a pep in their step. It's very exciting to have Jimmy here."
49ers players have Monday off and will resume practices on Tuesday.
