SANTA CLARA — There was no way Yetur Gross-Matos was going to pass up an opportunity to play for the 49ers.
The fifth-year pass rusher signed a two-year, $18 million contract with San Francisco as a free agent this offseason and already is making use of all the organization's resources. From Nick Bosa to Kris Kocurek, Gross-Matos is taking advantage of it all.
“I’ve been watching [Bosa], learning everything I can,” Gross-Matos told NBC Sports Bay Area. “Listening to everything he’s got to say. Some things you can’t emulate because he is Nick Bosa, but just getting bits and pieces from his game.”
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Gross-Matos spent his first four seasons with the Carolina Panthers after being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Penn State. The edge rusher registered 13 sacks along with 142 tackles -- 64 solo, 19 for a loss -- in his first four NFL seasons
The Nittany Lion is naturally a defensive end but was asked to play outside linebacker as a Panther. While Gross-Matos believes he can deliver both, he knows the 49ers' system will give him a chance to thrive. But it wasn’t only the positional opportunity that drew Gross-Matos to the Bay Area — it also was Kocurek.
“[Kocurek’s] kind of a legendary coach,” Gross Matos said. “I definitely wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity. He’s great. He loves football, he loves D-line, he loves pass rush, and that’s part of the reason I came here.
“He’s developed other guys over the past couple of years, and as much as I wanted to be comfortable and stay in Carolina, it just made too much sense to come here, play for him and play in this defense, in this role.”
San Francisco 49ers
Returning to defensive end is a throwback to Gross-Matos’ days at Penn State, when he racked up 19 sacks over three seasons along with 111 total tackles -- 65 solo and 37 for a loss. The edge rusher already has been seen in the backfield disrupting the quarterback on a regular basis during 49ers training camp.
“I’ve been loving it so far,” Gross-Matos said. “Coaching staff, players are really embracing me, making me feel welcome. I’m just trying to find my stride in a new defense, and I’m going to do what I can to be the best player here.”
The lineman’s biggest adjustment might be what he called the “slower-paced lifestyle” of the South Bay, but it will keep Gross-Matos solely focused on football. Acclimating to the 49ers' style of play has been much easier. Many defensive ends take time to find their place in Kocurek’s system, but for Gross-Matos, it’s what he has always known.
“It’s an attack-style defense, which I feel like I’m more accustomed to play in that role anyway,” Gross-Matos said. “I feel like I played in a similar defense in college, so this is what I’ve actually been doing since I was young. Just need to fine-tune the techniques they do here and get better every day.”
One person Gross-Matos is looking forward to meeting is Trent Willams. The pass rusher knows that lining up opposite of the All-Pro left tackle will, no doubt, raise his game.
“I really just want to be the best player I can be,” Gross-Matos said. “Make the most out of the short time you get to play in the NFL. So I try to hit every day with that mindset, stack every day one foot in front of the other. Lay a brick and one day you’re going to have a house.”
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