49ers LB Dre Greenlaw: I’ve never been to California

The conference call from the 49ers sixth round draft pick

Congratulations.

“Thank you so much. I’m beyond blessed.”

How did you find out you were a member of the 49ers?

“Coach [inside linebackers coach DeMeco] Ryans called me and the whole staff called me, and I saw the area code on the number and I saw California, and I knew right then and there, and I saw the pick that was up right there and then, that I was going to be a 49er.”

What did they tell you about how they envision you fitting in here from a football standpoint?

“Really what they told me was just that they’ve obviously seen me on my tape, and they see me coming in playing with the linebackers, and they like my versatility, they like the way I run, they like the way I hit, they like my physicality, and of course special teams and whatever really they need me to do, I’m okay with that. Team first. I’m going to do whatever the coaches tell me to do.”

Are you a stack linebacker?

“Yes, sir, I am a stack linebacker.”

How much contact did you have with the Niners in the pre-draft process?

“I had a lot of contact with coach Ryans as far as at the Senior Bowl. We played against them. I was with the other team, though, and he just said he really liked my film and he saw some of my practice tape and liked some of the stuff I did, and that’s kind of the only contact I had. I was supposed to go down for a 30 visit with them, and they canceled the 30 visit, and that really hurt my heart, and I was like, I thought then that it was done, and it panned out they still wanted me. I’m blessed”

Trying to keep it a secret it sounds like.

“It sounds like they were trying to keep it a secret, yes, sir.”

Are you familiar with LB Kwon Alexander and LB Fred Warner who you’ll be playing next to?

“Yes, I’m very familiar with Kwon Alexander. I know he’s just got there this year, and I know he’s a great athlete and a great linebacker, and I’m ready to learn as much as possible I’m ready to absorb it all.”

What did being a team captain entail for you in terms of responsibilities, leadership in the locker room, things like that?

“Just being a former team captain at the University of Arkansas, just knowing, just being there for my teammates and being a positive leader and a positive role model and doing not only just saying it but living it and doing it on a daily basis and showing my care and my want-to for this game, and I think that’s good characteristics for a leader to have.”

Is there anything that the 49ers said that they thought you need to work on going forward?

“Definitely. I mean, just my previous conversations that I’ve had with coach Ryans, just using my hands and some techniques, and when I was at the Senior Bowl, he told me right then and there that he could fix that. He was just, he told me a lot about things that he really liked, and he told me that really was the main thing.”

Has playing safety in high school benefitted you as a linebacker in this day and age?

“Oh, definitely, coming from that safety spot and having to cover, learn coverages, it’s just helped me with my all-around game, knowing the game. I played corner, and just having that knowledge of what everybody else around me is doing, when I kind of got to that linebacker spot, I was able to pick it up fast because I was able to understand what the defense, the position I was supposed to be in. So, just having that previous knowledge and that skillset of covering people and bringing it to the linebacker spot, it made me job as far as coverage that much easier.”

Have you ever been to California or the San Francisco Bay Area?

“I’ve never been to California. I’ve been to Oregon, but never been to California, so I am excited.”

You mentioned your versatility. Can you kind of detail that a little bit more for us?

“Just having the prior knowledge of safety, and being able to, some people might not think my 40-time was great, but just being able to understand my leverage and versatility, just being able to either come off the edge or drop back in coverage and play special teams and just being a versatile player, just being able to do multiple things that the coaches want me to do.”