San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins was one of the heroes in his team's 26-23 defeat of the Los Angeles Rams last week.

The 49ers were nursing a three-point lead, with the Rams threatening to take that lead late in the 4th quarter. With the ball on the 3-yard line, Rams RB Kyren Williams ran up the middle and looked like he might score the go-ahead touchdown. But Collins had other plans, knocking the ball loose and recovering it at the 49ers' 1-yard line.


This week, Head Coach Kyle Shanahan sat down with Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area to discuss the 49ers' season, as well as the team's upcoming opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Maiocco asked Shanahan about Collins' big play and how he has overcome a slow start due to injury.

"First of all, that was one of the best plays I've ever seen," Shanahan said. "I know Kyren was beating himself up over it for fumbling that ball, but I don't know anyone who's holding to that ball, the violence he had with it, how he could cock his hand back and still bring it that quick and connect on it. And that was just such an unbelievable play. And Alfred…missing all of OTAs and stuff, coming in with an injury. He was behind, but he rehabbed so well, got his conditioning, and he got into camp."

Collins delivered perhaps the biggest play of the game in the 49ers' win over the Rams. For a rookie to come up with a play that big, in that moment, with the game on the line, is impressive enough. But Collins fell behind early in training camp after missing the entire offseason program due to a calf injury, including the team's minicamp. But he's caught up and now showing glimpses of why the 49ers drafted him.

"There was about a 10-day window where, you know, his legs were dead," Shanahan added." His conditioning seemed like he was losing it. And usually when that happens to rookies, they get hurt, they miss a month, and then you're kind of off the rest of the year because you never get that conditioning and really the work that you need to develop to play as a rookie.

"But he made it through that. And especially for a big guy like himself, he kept working every day. He never took a practice off and kind of got over that hump where I felt like he was on the verge of getting hurt, but he conditioned himself and fought through it. And then he made it through the rest of the training camp. And then you could see his legs come back."


Collins has gone from missing practice with an injury to making game-changing plays. And he's improved quickly, making one wonder how much more he might improve as the season progresses and beyond.

"And now just getting into this year, he's such a talented dude with how big he is, how long his arms are, how quick his feet are," Shanahan said. "Now to go through this whole training camp, build his body up so his legs are under him, that he's gotten our techniques and gotten better at that, still has a ways to go.

"But he prepared himself for this season right. And that's allowed him to stay healthy. And when you're talented like that, and you're in a scheme that's allowing you to do things, that's like I say, with a lot of these guys, if you keep getting reps, it's only a matter of time before you can become that type of player. And he's showing us that right now."

For those who believe Collins was perhaps the 49ers' best draft pick, this is further proof that he can be a difference-maker for Robert Saleh's defense. And for those who doubted that Collins would make much noise in the NFL, this could be the beginning of eyes opening to the potential that San Francisco drafted a future star on the defensive line.

Watch the entire interview below:




Written By:

Marc Adams


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