There wasn't much down time for Eric Reid in the month of July.
The 49ers first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft spent a brief amount of time in his home state of Louisiana before permanently moving out to the Bay Area.
Now that the rookie is situated with his living accommodations for the 2013 season, Reid hopes to settle his way atop the free safety depth chart. The 6-foot-1, 213-pounder knows it won't be easy, but is prepared to do his best to earn a starting job on San Francisco's defense.
"It's time to go back to work," Reid said on Friday, the official training camp report day for the team's rookie class. "It's exciting. It's work time. The season is right around the corner."
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PHOTOS: ERIC REID AT THE 2013 DRAFT ]
After arriving at team headquartes, Reid and his fellow rookies met with the coaching staff for a morning meeting before heading out for an afternoon conditioning test.
Veterans will soon join the rookies next week right before the start of camp practices, set to take place on Thursday, July 25.
Reid, a team captain at LSU in 2012, looks to continue his hard-working ways with the 49ers. In fact, Reid's playbook hardly left his side during his time off from the facility.
The constant studying has paid off in Reid's mind.
"I'm definitely aware of the playbook," the 21-year-old safety said. "Things look familiar when we're going through them in the classroom. I recognize things. Now, it's just getting all the rust off from the break and getting into game shape."
Reid's initial focus in camp is to build on his knowledge of the playbook while getting comfortable with San Francisco's defensive system during live play.
In addition, Reid's defensive backs coach, Ed Donatell, made it a point to have the young safety focus on footwork drills prior to camp.
"As DBs, it's all about your feet," Reid said, sharing some of the conversation between the rookie safety and the respected secondary coach. "He just said, 'Stay in shape, learn your plays and stay active.'"
With the 49ers looking to find a starting free safety through training camp and preseason performances, Reid is determined to be in the mix for the position and earn his way on to the field.
Coming from a football factory like LSU, Reid feels prepared for the grind of camp set to take place next week.
It's not exactly like his freshman year in college where Reid impressed early and eventually made 29 starts in three seasons for the Tigers, but it's certainly close.
"This is a little different," Reid said. "This is the highest level of football there is, so it's a different feeling, but it's exciting. I can't wait for the season."
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