L.J. McCray still remembers the advice he received from Quinton Patton a year ago when he was fighting to make the San Francisco 49ers roster as an undrafted rookie.
“Bust your behind on special teams, bro, because that’s going to be the only thing that keeps you here,” Patton told him.
The 49ers safety fully embraced the importance of special teams and knew his impact in the third, and often unheralded phase of the game was the primary factor in his employment last season.
“Oh definitely,” McCray said. “Even though I feel in my heart that I’m a good safety, that wasn’t the reason they brought me here.