San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Charles Omenihu joined Brad Graham of TheSFNiners to discuss his 2021 midseason transition from the Houston Texans to the 49ers, as well as his expectations for the 2022 season.
Much of Omenihu's work is under the watchful eye defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, and the 24-year-old pass-rusher had nothing but nice words to say about the esteemed coach, calling him the best coach he's ever had.
"He's the best coach I've ever had, but he's super invested though. Super, super invested," Omenihu said. "When he says he really spends time for real, he really [is] spending that time. He really means it. Putting the gameplan [against] the individual offensive lineman we go against, and the details of how to play in this scheme, he's on it. He's on top of it."
In addition to praising Kocurek, Omenihu touched on assistant defensive line coach Darryl Tapp, whose impact on the players comes from a different perspective.
"[Darryl] Tapp gets it from a players perspective. He played under Kris [Kocurek]… [It's not] like you only have two coaches. You can go to him as a player and talk about anything."
When asked about how the competition in the 49ers' defensive line unit fuels him, Omenihu shared that it prompts everyone to bring their best game, making you a better player.
"When you're surrounded with that many guys who really are top-of-the-line, [you] know you got to put your best foot forward, because you don't want to look like that guy on film. That much talent in the room, they just push you to be on your craft, and you just want to be that guy that shows up every day, because at the end of the day, that makes you a better player."
Omenihu believes the 49ers are a stacked defense on paper, but execution must come on the field. However, he believes that, with the effort that the 49ers' put in, they'll be able to accomplish that task.
"I think we're stacked from head-to-toe on defense, honestly. You can have all the talent, all the depth, but you gotta put it all together on the field, execution wise, Omenihu said. I noticed the difference coming here from being where I was immediately. You could just tell [that] guys really really put in that effort here, guys really really love football. Tight-knit group. You just gravitate to that and you become that if that's something that you're not already. For us, the biggest thing's going to be executing consistently all the time."
The 49ers begin training camp practices on Wednesday morning, and Omenihu will have the chance to showcase his talents alongside a deep defensive line.