When C.J. Beathard, Trent Taylor and George Kittle decided to train together in Nashville this offseason, they figured they could do so in anonymity given that they were about 2,200 miles from the Bay Area.
They miscalculated.
"We'd have people come over and just watch us and ask for autographs and stuff like that." Beathard said. "There was actually a surprising amount. We were so far away that you wouldn't expect it. But people were coming out of the woodwork who were actually 49ers fans."
The most astute observers would have recognized the trio as a group of mid-round draft picks in 2017 who contributed heavily as rookies and, in Kittle's case, one who is in position to make another big leap this season.