It's an NFL rookie's duty to provide snacks for his hungry veteran teammates. That's exactly what Dre Greenlaw has been doing for the players in the linebacker room. His latest run to the store took place on Wednesday.
"They made me go buy a bunch of Honey Buns and brownies, and anything you can name," Greenlaw told Mark Willard during a Thursday-night KNBR interview. "Any type of sweet, they made me go get it. I definitely didn't want to do it but didn't have a choice. I definitely respect the guys in the room, so just trying to be a good rookie and play my part."
The San Francisco 49ers made Greenlaw a fifth-round pick out of Arkansas in April. It's not like he's already earning massive paychecks. In fact, his regular salary won't come until game days kick off.
Greenlaw knows these snack runs are part of life as an NFL rookie. There's only one problem. He's not entirely sure why he's buying all of these snacks. They all remain unopened and are just sitting there in the meeting room. After all, NFL players are typically cautious with what they eat while training, so who are all of these Honey Buns for?
"The funny thing about it is we went and got the snacks, and there's not even a box that's opened yet," Greenlaw said. "We kind of really got the snacks for no reason, I'm starting to feel like, because nobody touched not a single Honey Bun, a hot chip, or anything. It's just laying in the linebacker room.
"I might have to take it back and get the receipt and try to slowly get some money back because they're definitely not going to eat them. That's the crazy thing."
Rookie hazing aside, Greenlaw has a lot on his plate this offseason. He is trying to learn a pro defense, impress his coaches, and live up to the potential he knows he's capable of. Most of all, Greenlaw is trying to keep his job because nothing in the NFL is guaranteed.
Greenlaw recalls a couple of on-field mistakes from Thursday's practice which resulted in a talk from linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans.
"It was only one or two mess-ups, but he's like, 'You can't mess up because that one or two seconds of you not being sure what you're doing or you being late, that could cost you your job, or it can cost you being able to make a play on the ball,'" Greenlaw said.
Ryans was laughing when he said it, but that doesn't make the message any less impactful.
"That's just life in the NFL," the coach added.
"Inside, I'm thinking I'm going to get fired," Greenlaw explained. "But he's kind of laughing with it too."
It may just be organized team activities, but Greenlaw knows the intensity will ramp up during training camp and preseason. There might not be any laughing by his coaches at that point.
With other linebackers like Kwon Alexander (ACL) and Fred Warner (knee) sidelined, Greenlaw received an opportunity to prove himself during the 49ers' offseason program. The injured linebackers, however, are expected to be ready for training camp in late-July.
"Right now, we've got a couple of guys banged up and injured, so Coach put on me to put me out there and get a couple more reps than I would normally get," Greenlaw said. "I'm just having a good time, enjoying it."
It's tough not to root for Greenlaw. When you hear his story, you might think it comes straight from The Blind Side. That's not an unfamiliar reference for the rookie linebacker, which he acknowledges but often tries to shrug off.
If you haven't read the fantastic article about Greenlaw by Matt Barrows of The Athletic, I recommend it.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Greenlaw below.
