Texas Longhorns DL Quickly Bonding With San Francisco 49ers Teammate

Over his five years with the Texas Longhorns, Alfred Collins worked his way up to not only becoming a reliable starter along the defensive line but also a leader in the locker room.

Now, he's once again a novice as he makes the jump to the NFL, but he's hardly alone.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Collins in the second round of last month's NFL Draft, then just two rounds later, selected another defensive tackle in Indiana's C.J. West. The two have only been teammates for a couple of weeks, but they already seem to be forming a strong partnership.

“He looks like he’s ready to work,” Collins said, per NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s ready to be one of the greats, so I can’t wait to get to work with him.”

The two defensive linemen have very different builds. Collins is much bigger at 6-foot-5 and 332 pounds, per the 49ers' minicamp roster, while West is more stocky at 6-foot-1 and 316 pounds.

Despite that, the two could end up playing very similar roles. The 49ers struggled to stop the run last season, especially in the second half as they allowed 140-plus rushing yards in six of their final seven games. So, adding two different defensive tackles who have different builds, but can both still stop the run, was a savvy move.

“I’m sure the coaching staff is going to get us right,” West said. “They are going to do everything they possibly can so we can work together as a group, as a unit, one heartbeat. We are going to go through that at training camp, through all of our practices. Build the best bond we can, so we can trust each other when the time comes.”

Collins was a run-stuffing force in his final season at Texas, recording 55 tackles, five tackles for loss, and a sack while constantly taking up space in the middle. The transition to the NFL will have challenges, but he's more than ready to face them head-on.

“It’s going to take work,” Collins said. “I’m going to work, I know [West] looked like he’s going to work. I’m excited to see where it goes.”