After trading their second round pick, the 49ers opened Day 2 of the draft with Alabama running back Glen Coffee. We'll see if he can provide some an alternative to Frank Gore.
RE: Was this a team you thought had any interest in you, or what’s your reaction to being taken by the 49ers?
“It’s crazy. I wasn’t hearing that the 49ers were going to pick me up, but when they called my name, it’s game time now. I’m ready now. Now I’ve finally got a team that I can go into camp and compete for a position for.”
RE: You didn’t visit the 49ers out here in Santa Clara?
“I did not. No sir.”
RE: Did you have any interaction with them at the Combine?
“I did. Yes, sir, I did. I talked to the GM, the coach and everybody. ”
RE: You’re coming to a team with a backfield that includes running back Frank Gore. Is he a guy you’ve watched much or know much about?
“Actually, I watched a lot of him when he got into the league and I knew a little bit about him in college. I know he’s a great back and he can do a lot of things. I’m glad to be able to practice with him and play the games with him.”
RE: Are you a similar style runner as him – a one-cut-and-go kind of a runner?
“I think so. As a running back, I think that’s the number one key that you’ve got to have in the league is getting up the field in a hurry, making that one cut and getting positive yards. I feel that we both can do that well.”
RE: You’re 6’0”, 210 pounds?
“Yes sir.”
RE: Do you have the frame to put on more weight or do you feel that that’s pretty much what you should be playing at?
“I would like to put on 10 more pounds, and I feel like I can carry 10 more pounds. I would like to play at 220, maybe 218.”
RE: Other than getting up the field quickly, what’s your running style? How would you characterize the manner in which you run?
“Just passionate. Passionate. I love contact, blocking as well as running. I just love contact. I mean, I always want to fall forward, always falling forward. Just getting up the field, falling forward, but I can also make that big play. I feel I can do it all.”
RE: Do you feel you could be a short-yardage back for this team as well?
“Anything the 49ers need me to do, I’ll be able to do it. I feel I can do it. The role I fall into, whatever it is, I’ll be able to handle anything the coaches expect of me.”
RE: How are your hands? Are you comfortable catching the ball out of the backfield?
“Definitely.”
RE: Were you used much as a receiver in Alabama?
“Not much. We weren’t thrown the ball much but I definitely have good hands, though.”
RE: What was it like to play for Nick Saban?
“You know what you’re going to get. I feel as far as making that transition from college to the league I feel like he’s the best coach to play under. He has a very pro style…very pro approach to the game and for practice, and so I feel that playing under him will prepare me well for the NFL.”
RE: What do you know about Mike Singletary?
“I probably know about as much as everybody else does: Hall of Fame linebacker. As a coach, he’s very serious, strictly business. He’s probably like Coach Saban in a lot of ways and I know that his players respect him and I’m looking forward to playing under him.”
RE: Can you talk about your surge of prominence this past season as a senior and taking the team along with you?
“Basically I knew I had to do something. It’s been my dream my whole life to get to the NFL and what I was doing wasn’t working. And then I found Christ, and when that happened it was just like I was playing for more than myself. I was playing for more than myself and when I got on that field I knew I had to get things done. I felt like my back was against the wall because when I got to college I didn’t do what I planned on doing as a freshman. I had a couple of injuries here and there, and this past season I just told myself that it’s time to make something happen. It was more of a mind thing than anything.”
RE: What are your thoughts on moving out west to the San Francisco area?
“It’ll be interesting. I’ve never been out west so I’m looking forward to it. Like I said, it’ll be interesting. I’m not going out there to see what San Francisco is like as a city. I’m out there to help the team win. So I’ll go out there and see how I like it but whether I like it or not I’m going to do what I’ve got to do to be a great NFL player.”
RE: What’s the furthest west you’ve ever been?
“Let me see, probably….”
RE: Have you ever played a game in California or anything?
“I have not. I have not. I think St. Louis.”
RE: Where is your home?
“Fort Walton Beach, Florida.”
RE: Where is that? Is that near Miami?
“No, it’s actually in the panhandle. It’s about eight hours from Miami.”
RE: Any memorable games against Patrick Willis that stand out? Were you a prominent running back when he was at Ole Miss?
“We played them when I was a redshirt sophomore year. I probably had about fifteen carries all in all. I know he’s a nice linebacker though. I’m sure he practices just like he plays, so I’ll be ready when we’ve got to compete after practice.”
RE: What’s your style? Do you want to run over people or run away from them?
“I’d probably want to run you over first. But if I can’t run around you I’m going to try to make you miss and get away from you. Trust me, if I see a hole I won’t think twice about lowering my head.”