49ers fourth-round draft pick Spencer Burford will be starting his NFL career with the type of opportunity college offensive linemen dream about -- the chance to learn from perhaps the best offensive lineman in football in All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams.
Burford spoke with 49ers media via Zoom for the first time on Saturday after the team selected him with pick 29 (134 overall) in the fourth round. He was asked about playing with Williams and expressed excitement over the chance to be his teammate in the future.
"Trent Williams is a freak of nature," Burford said. "I'm just glad I got the selection so I can come in and learn as much as possible from that dude. I like to watch his game, I like to study his style of play. So to actually be in the neighborhood and to get this opportunity and the chance to meet with him and actually have a chance to play with the dude, it's a blessing at the end of the day."
Williams should get along just fine with Burford based on the mindset he displayed during his Zoom conference. Burford was asked about his strengths and weaknesses at one point during the conference and responded with a quote his new teammates will love.
"You don't ever have to worry about me lacking on a play or anything like that," Burford said. "I play balls to the wall most definitely, all the time. I treat the game as a sacred holy field that you play on, so the game means a lot to me, so I'm not going to disrespect it. I'm not going to disrespect the game with me half-assing anything that I do."
Burford said that mindset can lead him to make some technical mistakes, which is something he'll be working to correct.
"Sometimes my aggressive nature sacrifices my technique," Burford said.
It remains to be seen where Burford lines up for the 49ers after playing guard and tackle in college at UT-San Antonio. He told reporters he's comfortable playing both inside and outside ("Wherever they need me, that's where I'm going to play") and has a level of comfort in the type of offense he'll be playing in under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
"He's a legend -- a living legend with the offense that he runs," Burford said of Shanahan. "I feel like it's a perfect fit. The offensive line that he has, you can just look at the lineup -- the line of guys that he has already on the roster... They go in there and they refine offensive linemen to be the best they can possibly be, so I'm just happy."