"I think he's taken a huge jump since last year," head coach Kyle Shanahan recently told reporters. "I mean, just the conditioning that he put in, in phase one and two, what he did these 40 days away, just how good he was the first day we saw him in terms of his stamina, how he's running, understanding the offense, what we want out of him more. I thought he had a great OTAs, and he's come back, and he's even having a better training camp."
Davis-Price could push another second-year back, Jordan Mason, for the third running back spot on the roster.
The 49ers' offensive line and run game coordinator, Chris Foerster, recently praised Davis-Price's improvement from a year ago, saying that it was "all coming together" for the young running back. On Saturday, the coach continued praising Davis-Price's efforts.
"It's unreal right now," Foerster said of the back's progress. "Last year, he looked good early. He looked good when we didn't have the pads on. And then all of a sudden, as we started playing games, different things happened during the course of the year. It just wasn't as good. He, right now, looks like a man on a mission.
"He's fun to watch. You see all the things we saw when we drafted him. He just gets to the open field. He's a load. He's fast. He's seeing things better. He just understands the offense better. Everything about him [has improved]."
The running back's teammates are also noticing the improvement.
"It's almost night and day," center Jake Brendel said of Davis-Price. "It's pretty wild how much he's progressed. I feel like a lot of people, they didn't write him off, but they also didn't expect huge things from mid-season to late-season last year. But I feel like he's legitimately in the running to be a huge contender for that running back position.
"Anytime you see him running out of safety, it's like, 'What's going to happen there?' It's definitely something that, honestly, it's just inspiring to watch, and hopefully, he just keeps getting better."
Foerster acknowledges that life in the NFL can be tough on a rookie. So much information is thrown at you. A young player's head can start spinning as he tries to adapt. Many players make a significant leap during their second NFL season, once they've had a chance to breathe, reflect, and adapt to the increased workload.
It sounds like that has happened for Davis-Price.
Foerster added, "Man, everything's kind of coming together for him. He looks like a different guy. He's playing very, very well, and it's fun to watch."
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