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San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman
Colton McKivitz spoke with Metro News in West Virginia and reflected on his wild rookie NFL season. It wasn't a typical rookie campaign. Even the offseason was abnormal, as McKivitz and his new teammates didn't even get together for the first time until training camp in late-July.
Then, when McKivitz had an opportunity to finally step onto the football field in a pro game for the first time, it was in front of ... no one. Levi's Stadium was empty due to the ongoing pandemic.
"It was wild, thrilling, and confusing," McKivitz told McKivitz, Brad Howe, and Gregory Hunter. "It is everything you wanted it to be as a rookie year, except for the uncertainty of if you're going to play this week or next week because of COVID and all that stuff, but it was amazing to finally reach the top and get to play.
"And then getting my first start against probably one of the best defensive players to ever play the game. To come in like that and get a few starts and test the waters out of what pro football is like. I think, hopefully, it's going to be a long-lasting career, in my opinion, which it hopefully will be. So, I am excited for what else is coming forward to me, and then also just reflecting on what a crazy year it's been, but also a great year."
McKivitz was asked to identify the biggest transition from the collegiate level to the pros. Was the physical or mental difference the biggest hurdle to overcome?
"It's mental," McKivitz responded. "Of course, you are going to have the bigger guys and everyone, they deserve to be there as pro athletes and all that, but just the mental aspect of showing up every day. In college, you could get away with stuff, like walking through things or just getting by, but in the NFL, you get exposed pretty quickly, and you learn fast that every day you have to come mentally prepared at the highest level you can."
McKivitz also shared a couple of his I'm-in-the-NFL moments from his first year in the NFL. The first was a bit of an embarrassing introduction to the strength and speed of the game.
"I think it was probably (training) camp practice in the second week," McKivitz shared. "I got thrown around for one play, and I was like, 'Man, OK, yeah, this is what the NFL is.' That was probably one of the not-so-great moments, but it was definitely an eye-opening one.
"And then also the first game. It's the NFL, you run out, you expect 60,000 fans (with the 49ers) coming off playing in the Super Bowl, and then there's no one there. But also, the same aspect of it is it's still just a great feeling to run out of an NFL tunnel, be on a pro team, and to be at that level. Just a few snippets of what this year has meant to me, and it's just been awesome so far."
You can listen to the interview with McKivitz below.
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week.
"Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote.
Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco
