SANTA CLARA -- Colton McKivitz's first season as the 49ers' starting right tackle will begin with quite the challenge Sunday, as he's sure to see plenty of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt.
But those around 27-year-old know he's up for the task, no matter how daunting it might be.
"I’m sure he’s like any other guy would be," 49ers run game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Foerster said Thursday. "You get a lump in your throat, and you know it’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to be a full day of work, and you know it."
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It's something every NFL player goes through at some point -- even those who eventually go on to reach the pinnacle of their game, like All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams. Foerster recalled Williams' first NFL game with Washington back in 2010, where the then-22-year-old had to square off against a future Hall of Famer in Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware.
"I remember Trent’s first game," Foerster recalled. "He didn’t think he was going to get that feeling, and then he met DeMarcus Ware on opening day and thought, ‘Holy crap, this is a whole different thing than what I thought.' And for the whole game, he hung on and his eyes were as big as could be, like, ‘I am so far out of my element right now.’ "
McKivitz, of course, won't be a rookie when he goes up against Watt. And he has faced big stars before: In Week 18 of the 2021 NFL season, he got the start and held his own against Von Miller and the Los Angeles Rams. But there's still plenty of inexperience there, and a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year will be one of the first tasks in his young career after taking over the role previously held by Mike McGlinchey.
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Now that McKivitz is the starter, however, Foerster noted he's acting like it after a conversation he had with the fourth-year offensive lineman.
"He still has to go through the bumps and bruises of, ‘OK, I maybe don’t have as good a game, but I’m still the starter,' " Foerster said. "... And that was what I wanted him to know. He was the starter -- it’s time to stop thinking of yourself as the guy who came up back through the practice squad, and all that he’s done to accomplish where he is today, and I just want him to have the confidence to know that he is that guy.
"And he has carried himself that way ... He’s embraced that role, but he’s performed as well, so that’s helped. And hopefully going into Week 1, his performance, it hasn’t been a real game yet, so now we get to see what we’re made of."
McKivitz bounced between the 49ers' practice squad and 53-man roster over the years after he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he proved his worth and inked a two-year, $4.6 million contract this offseason following McGlinchey's free-agency departure.
San Francisco expressed its confidence in McKivitz as the starting right tackle when they declined to draft any offensive linemen in April, and his teammate George Kittle echoed that faith Thursday.
"He’s a starter for the San Francisco 49ers. I mean, I think he’s going to play at a high level," Kittle said of how he thinks McKivitz will do against Watt. "I know he’s going to play at a high level. I thought he had a good training camp. Every time I got a rep next to him in the last couple years when he got to sub in for someone that was hurt, I thought he did an excellent job. ...
"I don’t think we’re going to leave him one-on-one every single play. I’m not going to give you all of our game plan, but we’re going to help him out as much as we can. But I don’t have concern. I think Colton’s going to do a great job."
There's no denying the Steelers will look to exploit McKivitz and his inexperience with their five-time Pro Bowl selection at linebacker. But in Watt, McKivitz sees a chance to prove himself.
"He's a great player, explosive. He showed that last week of the preseason," McKivitz told 95.7 The Game's Larry Krueger on Wednesday. "He's been a great player since he's been there, and he's athletically gifted, a lot like [Las Vegas Raiders] Maxx [Crosby]. Effort guy, so it'll be a fun test."
The 49ers believe McKivitz is ready. And even though the butterflies certainly will be there Sunday in Pittsburgh, Foerster knows the team has done everything to make sure McKivitz is as ready as he can be for the moment.
"While it’s going to be a challenge as a starter, and I know Watt's a great player on defense and we give him all props, Colton, I’m sure, is going to feel it. I’m going to feel it for him if he’s not feeling it," Foerster said. "But we prepare for things like this."
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