49ers draft picks: Eric Reid is introduced to the media

The San Francisco 49ers introduced safety Eric Reid on Friday, an hour before the start of the second round. The press conference had been scheduled for 2:30, but it started 15 minutes early, so most people couldn't watch it. Thankfully the 49ers PR department sent along a transcript of the press conference.

Reid had a chance to scout himself, and was aware of some of the weaknesses in his game. When asked what areas he needed to improve, he mentioned his footwork is always an area to improve. He also discussed how he took bad angles at times, although he said his aggressiveness played into that to a certain extent.

Check out everything else Reid had to say Friday afternoon. Remember, this is NOT the first open thread for tonight. That is HERE.

Tell us about your travel itinerary. When did you leave New York and how was your experience since you received word you were a 49er?

"Well, I did quite a bit of traveling. Left Baton Rouge to go to New York. Got to New York on Tuesday and woke up at 5 o'clock this morning to fly out here. And I slept most of the way, so it wasn't that bad."

So, when did you get here to the facility?

"I don't know. The plane landed at 11:30 a.m. So, probably about 12ish, noon."

What have you done since you've been here?

"Met everybody. Met the staff. Looking forward to working out later on this afternoon because it's been a couple days since I've been in New York. So, just getting a feel for things and what's going to be my new place of work."

What players have you met?

"I'm looking forward to meeting [S] Donte [Whitner]. They told me he was here. He's hanging around. So, I'm looking forward to meeting him."

Do you want to meet him to sort of pick his brain and start getting into the defense?

"Yeah, definitely. He's the guy that I know I'm going to be a sponge. Just learn as much as I can from him. He's a vet, a guy that's going to show me how to be a professional athlete."

Are there any first impressions you have from just arriving here at headquarters?

"It's awesome. I couldn't have asked to be in a better place. I actually wanted to be drafted by San Francisco if you can believe it. But, you never know how it'll work out. I'm just glad that it did work out this way."

Secondary coach Ed Donatell picked you up from the airport. What was that like getting to meet your position coach right off the bat?

"It was awesome. I got off the plane. They told me to go down to baggage claim and he was there waiting for me. So, I had my hat on already and I was just looking forward to getting here."

What was your reaction when you pull up here and you see that huge structure going up across the street?

"They were telling me on the ride. They said they were in the process of building a new stadium. I saw it and I was like, man that's nice. I'm glad that I'll be here for the first year that it's open. So, I'm looking forward to it."

Did you know that they were building the new stadium?

"No, I didn't until they told me."

You said you want to be a sponge with Donte Whitner. What are your goals for your rookie season as far as the starting lineup and what you want to accomplish?

"I just want to come here and get to work. A starting role has to be earned. And I know that very much so. So, I don't expect to come here and start right away. Like I said, I want to be a sponge. Just come here and impact the team in a positive way and just do my job. Because I know this defense is incredible and it'll be an honor to be on the field with those guys."

Did you watch the 49ers play much last year?

"Oh yeah. My mom works out here. I don't know if you all knew much about that. She's a traveling nurse. So, she's back and forth between San Jose and Baton Rouge. So, I follow them. And I played at LSU. So, I'm a big fan of good defenses. So, I've always kept an eye on them."

What hospital does she work at?

"I couldn't tell you. She bounces around to whoever needs somebody to work."

So how long has she been coming out to San Jose?

"Eight years. It's been since I was in middle school."

And for two weeks at a time?

"Yeah, two or three weeks and then she comes back home to Baton Rouge for two or three weeks. Just back and forth, a lot of traveling."

I'm sure you read the pre-draft critics of you in the last couple of months. What do you think you need to improve upon at this level?

"I'm a DB, so always foot work. There are always ways to improve your craft. I took a couple bad angles in my days at LSU, so I'm looking to get better at that and being a sure tackler because safety's the last line of defense. So, I've got to make sure I get the guys on the ground."

There was one magazine that said you're too aggressive sometimes. How would you assess that?

"I can agree with that. That's kind of what plays into the bad angles sometimes. I'll see a read and might be overly aggressive and then get out of position a little bit. But, I think that comes with being a professional athlete. I don't have to go to class anymore. I can just focus on being a football player. So, spend all my time getting better at what I do."

You know your daughter kind of stole the spotlight last night. Why did you make the decision to bring her up when your name was called?

"Because she told me she wanted to come up. So, I couldn't say no. She hopped in my arms and we walked across the stage."

Does she have any concept or she's probably just too young to understand what dad's going through or what did you tell her?

"She's bright. She knows my number, she's knows when she sees me on TV, she knows Mike the Tiger. When they called my name she knew that she wanted to go with me and we were talking to the commissioner, she was telling him what number I wore and where I played for. She stole the spotlight, but I don't mind at all."

Speaking of Tigers, the things that Les Miles told you, was there any advice or things you're going to take with you to the NFL?

"Yeah, just to keep doing what I've been doing. That's just to work hard, learn the playbook and be a great teammate. So that's what I plan on doing when I move out here."

More speaking of Tigers, this team's spent a lot of time with CB Tyrann Mathieu before the draft. What can you say about him and the prospect of perhaps playing next to him again?

"He's a great football player and we all know that he made a mistake that if he had a second opportunity that he would have made some different decisions. We're all human beings, we all make mistakes. I've made mistakes that haven't put me in the amount of trouble that he's been in. And going forward, I think that he's learned from it. He paid the ultimate price as far as being a football player and that's missing a season. He was on pace to do a lot of great things for himself at LSU and he had to sit out. I definitely think that that impacted him and I think that he's going to move on and be a great player in this league."

What's it like to play safety with him in front of you?

"It's awesome. I have a front row seat to see some of the things he does. You all have seen the highlights. West Virginia he's stripping the ball, batting the ball and picking it. People just don't do that and I'm right there on the field with him. He's a great player to be on the field with."

You've got your college number over there, I'm not sure they're going to let you wear that at this level. Have you gotten a number in mind yet?

"No, I got to part ways with it. I couldn't wear it if they let me because of the rules DBs have to wear, I think what is it, 20 through 49. Kind of heart breaking, but I've come to terms with that long ago. I knew that I wouldn't be able to wear it, but I don't have a number yet. I guess I'll be figuring that out in the next couple of weeks. "

What's it like for coach Harbaugh to come get you in the draft after he couldn't recruit you out of high school?

"It's an honor. It's a funny story. Like you said, he recruited me out of high school and we were joking about it earlier. He was saying that I didn't have a choice this time, so I had to come."