Imagine arriving at an NFL facility for the first time after being drafted, and the first player you run into is big-man Trent Williams. That might be a bit intimidating.
That's what happened to San Francisco 49ers rookie offensive lineman Colton McKivitz when he arrived to sign his rookie contract. Williams was there too, signing his restructured deal.
"The best part of that day, Trent came up to congratulate me on being drafted by the team," McKivitz recently wrote in a feature for 49ers.com. "All I could think about was how monster of a guy he is. You don't realize it when you see him in pictures, but man, seeing him in person is unreal."
Later, McKivitz had to step onto the practice field to block the likes of veterans Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas, who were probably looking to gain a confidence boost by going against a rookie.
"Looking across the ball and seeing the guys we have on defense can make you nervous," wrote McKivitz. "We have some super athletic and talented guys. ... Solomon Thomas' quickness is pretty wild too. He's got me a few times during our 1-on-1 drills. I was nervous to line up across from Arik Armstead. Man, he's impressive too."
But it wasn't just the seasoned veterans who left an impression on McKivitz. Another rookie from his draft class caught him a bit off guard.
"You look at guys like Javon Kinlaw, he's just a monster of a human," added McKivitz.
Practicing against one of the best — if not the best — defensive lines in football will only make McKivitz better. He has the benefit of facing some of the best the NFL has to throw at him, and the rookie has already been taking great strides during training camp.
"I've managed to hold my own in a few 1-on-1 reps," wrote McKivitz. "I'm really proud of that, but I still have a very long way to go."
McKivitz's work ethic, progress, and versatility have not gone unnoticed by the 49ers coaching staff.
"McKivitz, we moved him all over," head coach Kyle Shanahan explained on August 22. "It's tougher for a rookie to go, but he's got a chance to compete with all these other guys. With some of these injuries that we've had so far, he's got more reps than probably usual. We're probably going to have to keep him moving around positions because he's got to be ready for everything."
McKivitz didn't have the opportunity to go through a complete offseason due to league-wide limitations amid a pandemic. That can be difficult for a rookie trying to learn an NFL playbook and adapt to the speed and strength of NFL-caliber talent.
The 49ers coaches didn't hesitate to move McKivitz around to different spots along the offensive line because he was showing to be a quick study.
"What has been cool about him, you don't always do that to the rookies and stuff because they can't always handle it," Shanahan added. "Especially without OTAs, but he ... really owned offseason Zoom meetings and all that and really owned the playbook."
