Matt Maiocco put together a post today looking at a variety of comments secondary coach Ed Donatell made about the 49ers defensive backs. We've talked about the cornerbacks plenty, so I thought I'd pull out his comments focusing on Taylor Mays. Folks generally seem to either like his upside, or think he's going to bust. As seems to be the case with a lot of guys, people seem to stray towards the extremes when it comes to the young safety from USC.

"This is a young player, going into Year 2," Donatell said of Mays. "That's when a lot of guys spike, especially when you're a high-profile guy like he was. If you think about that first year, it's a whirlwind. He got some valuable playing time. I see a lot of traits. He should spike in this system."

In the coming weeks we'll take a look at game film of Stanford's 2010 defense and maybe we'll be able to see how Mays would be impacted. Naturally coaches are optimistic about a young player with tons of athleticism. That shouldn't surprise anybody. The question is how well they'll be able to implement their system with a guy like Mays.

What are folks looking for with Taylor Mays in the new Fangio defense? Will he be able to harness his athleticism and become an efficient solid safety?