The San Francisco 49ers invested heavily in the defensive line during their offseason roster overhaul, selecting Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, and CJ West in the 2025 NFL Draft. After Saturday's practice, all three rookies spoke with reporters about their first NFL training camp and what it's like learning from the veteran leaders on the team—and each other.
Rookies embracing NFL transition
"It's been great, just getting here with all the vets, and getting to go against great talent, and also get to learn from my vets and the great players and great coaches around me. It's been great," Mykel Williams said.
Alfred Collins missed the entire offseason program due to a calf injury but is now eager to make up for lost time. While sidelined, he focused on mental reps to sharpen his game.
"I feel good, feel 100%," Collins said of his health. "It was a process, and it went well."
For CJ West, one of training camp's pleasant surprises, nothing has been more exciting than finally putting on pads.
"I could not wait for real football," West said. "As a defensive lineman, that's what you play the game for—the violence and the physicality of the game. We were able to finally put the pads on and get out to it—that's what I was most excited for."
Learning from Nick Bosa
Few young defensive linemen have the opportunity these three rookies enjoy—learning from one of the league's elite pass rushers, Nick Bosa, one of the few holdovers from last season.
Williams and West shared what that experience has been like so far.
"I took a lot in from Nick," Williams said. "He's been a great help for me, especially in the pass rushing and hand uses game. I definitely took tools from that. And then, just watching him practice, just looking at his mentality as he practiced. That's something I definitely picked up on."
Williams' versatility allows him to rush both inside and outside, giving the 49ers flexibility to deploy him in multiple roles as a rookie.
"I'm extremely comfortable rushing inside and out," Williams explained. "That's something that I did in the past at Georgia, and I'm continuously doing it right now, and I don't feel discomfort in it."
On the differences between rushing inside versus on the edge, Williams added, "Just like in football, things happen faster in the middle than they do on the edge, so you've gotta speed your hands and your feet up. But that's pretty, really, just one of the differences. And it's shorter sets ... things happen a little quicker."
West, meanwhile, is focused strictly on playing inside. Still, he says there's plenty to learn from Bosa's approach—and he's watching his veteran teammate closely.
"Every time Bosa goes, I watch every single rep," West said. "I watch every step he takes. How deliberate he is with his hands, however deliberate he is with his first steps. I watch it all because he's a great player, and one day, I want to be a great player and really make a name for myself in the league.
"I take every little thing. Even though we play different positions, some of the stuff does translate—how quick you may shoot your hands or how violent that first step has to be, you gaining ground on your second step, as well. So, talking to him, he's been helping me with that, and really, just focused on me getting off the ball every single rep."
Rookies helping rookies
Williams was asked about West, who has looked dominant against offensive linemen during one-on-one drills.
"He's extremely powerful," Williams said. "He uses his hands well, has great pad level. I think he's gonna be a great player."
Collins added that the rookie defensive linemen are actively helping each other as they learn how to succeed in the NFL.
"We have a question, we always just talk to each other," Collins explained. "We're always just talking to each other, and any confusion, the way he remembers it, the way CJ or Mykel or [Sebastian Valdez] might remember, it might help me remember. So, we always just [collaborate] and stuff like that. I feel like that really helps."
The DJ. Jones comparison
From the moment CJ West was drafted, comparisons emerged to former 49ers defensive tackle D.J. Jones—a player who thrived in San Francisco's defensive scheme before joining the Denver Broncos.
West is well aware of those comparisons, and they mean something to him because Jones was someone he studied during his college days.
"Actually, I watched a lot of tape on him when I was back in college," West shared. "When you're a college player, you kind of look to see who you fit as, who you look like in the NFL, what kind of role you may play. And watching games and stuff, I'm like, 'Man, I look a lot like that guy.' We have the same frame, same height, arm length, and different things. We kind of have the same play style. So I was watching him in college.
"Then, when I got drafted here, I was like, 'Oh, man, I really got to dive deep into it because he was really successful in this scheme. And under [defensive line coach] Kris [Kocurek], he did really well."
Jones and the Broncos will visit Santa Clara next week for joint practices with the 49ers. Naturally, West was asked if he planned to meet with the veteran defensive lineman during that time.
"Yeah, it would be awesome to have a chat with him, but my main focus is just getting better in practice," West said. "If we got that time to do that, that'd be great, learn from some of the vets throughout the league. But my main focus is getting better every single day, and how can I hone myself to be prepared for the team in the season?"
Borrowing Trent Williams' plane
Earlier in training camp, star left tackle Trent Williams revealed that rookie defensive lineman Mykel Williams asked to borrow his private Gulfstream jet for an offseason trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Mykel Williams laughed as he recalled the moment, sharing a memorable quote when asked about the request.
"My pops told me a while ago, 'Closed mouth don't get fed,'" he said. "So, he offered, and I had to take him up on it."
Since Trent was headed there at the same time, the two new teammates got to spend some time together during the trip.