San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Kaelon Black shared this week what it is like to play alongside offensive tackle Trent Williams, a sure-fire future Hall of Famer.

“Growing up, I was a Washington fan, so he was on Washington,” Black said. “I was like in third, fourth grade. Now, I’m in my first year in the league, and we’re on the same team, so it was real eye-opening to me.”

Black has caught Williams’ attention, too, and the veteran is impressed by what he’s seen from the rookie. Williams spoke to reporters after Friday’s practice and shared his impressions of the first-year running back.

“Super hard runner,” Williams said. “Very talented, too. You watch what he does when he’s running the running routes, how he can stick his foot in the ground. He’s a power back that has really good agility, really good lateral quickness. And, obviously, he tops off every run with going forward.

“He’s a really, really hard guy to bring down, and he’s a bruiser. You can see that in his college tape, and from the first day of him out here in OTAs, as soon as he got the ball, you can see that there’s a different type of movement that comes. He’s not just like a normal rookie.”

Williams noted that, like starting running back Christian McCaffrey, Black has learned enough to excel in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense, particularly with his vision and physical running style.

While Black isn’t yet the passing-game contributor McCaffrey is, Williams wouldn’t rule out the rookie developing into a similar type of weapon.

“I believe that he could,” Williams said. “He’s capable of doing all those things. We just don’t have to.”

Trent Williams praises Nick Bosa’s impressive return

Defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner, two of the 49ers’ best defensive players, officially returned last week after injuries cut their 2025 seasons short.

Bosa appeared in just three games last season before suffering a torn ACL, while Warner was limited to six games after dislocating and fracturing his right ankle.

“They’re blue chippers,” Williams said of the duo. “And those guys, they shift your defense so much. You have to plan for them. And I mean, both of them coming off season-ending injuries where they hadn’t played a lot of football, a lot of game-tempo football.

“Fred has practiced all camp, but I mean, honestly, I ain’t even seen Bosa take a full-speed rep. I haven’t gone against him. So I was definitely watching him, just because he looked great, but I just wanted to see.”

What Williams saw from Bosa was a player who showed little sign that he was coming off a significant injury.

“I’ve never seen anybody go without playing that much football in that long a period of time, and then go out there, in his first play, look like Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa. It really needs to be studied. I don’t know how he did that, how he had enough mental fortitude to stay locked in, to get the mental reps, and then to come out there and be one of the shining stars. It’s incredible.”

Fred Warner makes the 49ers offense better

Warner is a different player altogether. The veteran linebacker has been itching to make an impact on defense again after missing much of last season.

Williams even credited Warner’s presence during training camp for helping the 49ers offense get off to a strong start.

“We all know what Fred is, and he’s been that,” Williams explained. “Honestly, I think Fred may be a bigger singular reason why the offense is as far along as it is this early, because it’s going against Fred in camp every day. I don’t want to curse, but it’s a B-word.

“He understands the offense. He knows what we want to do. He understands body language. So your play action has to really look like play action if you want to get a ball off in practice. It just makes you be a better offense.”

Then there is Warner’s passion. The linebacker doesn’t hold back, even when going against his teammates on the practice field.

“He’s going to let you hear about it,” Williams said. “Every play he makes, you’re going to hear three seconds of screaming and see him flex. That’s my teammate. We’re still competitive, too, though.”

Williams added, “I don’t know if we get him as ready to play as he gets us ready to play, but he’s a godsend for us.”

Mentioned in this article: Kaelon Black, Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, Fred Warner, Trent Williams