Fans had to love the immediate reaction to the San Francisco 49ers drafting former Indiana defensive tackle C.J. West last April.
The No. 113 overall pick made it clear he "hated quarterbacks," which is great news for a Niners defensive line that lacked serious thump from the interior over the last few seasons. And, despite being a first-year pro, West seems to be trending in the right direction to make an impact right away.
Prior to Monday's training camp practices, it would have been hard to truly gauge just how much of a thump the rookie would have. After all, pads have been off ever since San Francisco first met for organized team activities last spring.
That changed on Monday, though, when the pads came on.
With linemen now allowed to engage in full contact, West seemed to be the name dominating the headlines and catching everyone's attention.
Including defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who didn't shy away from referring to West as a "fire hydrant," low and squatty with a build that's almost impossible to move:
"He's like a little fire hydrant. He's powerful. He's got heavy hands."
Robert Saleh on rookie defensive tackle CJ West.
On top of that, Niner Noise's good friend Rob Lowder of the Striking Gold Podcast, pointed out some specific plays where the 6-foot-1 and 316-pound West stood out, including reps against sturdy second-year guard Dominick Puni:
First impression from OL vs DL with pads:
CJ West is a tank. Won all five of his reps with a mixture of power and quickness. On one rep against Dominick Puni, the shock of West's initial hit seemed to stun Puni. West followed that up with quick hands to get to the QB. Impressive.
San Francisco drafted two other D-linemen ahead of West, Mykel Williams in Round 1 and Alfred Collins in Round 2.
While those two are already cementing themselves as significant pieces to the 49ers' defensive rebuild, West's own ascent as a key cog in Saleh's D-line is gaining momentum. And it might be impossible for Saleh to keep the squatty 1-technique out of the starting lineup from the get-go.
Especially if the rookie winds up stacking reps like these on a regular basis.
