SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Eli Harold has spoken of his Jedi-like ability to get teammates to, for lack of a better term, do his bidding on the football field.
But Friday, after a Phase 2 offseason training workout, the San Francisco 49ers' third-round draft pick out of Virginia became more of a listener than a preacher, so to speak.
The rookie linebacker was all ears when Canton-bound Charles Haley was giving instruction to Niners outside linebacker Aldon Smith.
“That’s a Hall of Famer,” Harold said of Haley with a grin. “And I feel that Aldon has all the intangibles to be a future Hall of Famer. I’m just trying to learn everything I can and just picking up little key words that [Haley] was saying.”
Such as?
“Things I’ve never seen or heard,” Harold said. “I feel like it will definitely help me in the future. Definitely advanced things. He was talking balance and target. Where to keep you eyes and head level. Things like that.”
Many draft observers feel the Niners might have got a steal in the draft with Harold lasting until the third round. He finished with 17.5 sacks in his college career that spanned 36 games and 25 starts, and had 14.5 tackles for a loss last season.
Harold could do worse than to glean something from Haley, who had 100.5 sacks in his career, is the only player with five Super Bowl rings (two with the Niners and three with the Dallas Cowboys) and was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in January.
“I could tell a guy to do anything,” Harold said on a conference call immediately after the Niners drafted him. “Not saying it’s a negative thing, but I’ve alwas been able to tell a guy and change his mind and get him to do what I want him to do.”
Haley probably had that same effect on Harold.