Even if the 49ers never win another Super Bowl, I'd still be proud to say I covered the following five players:
1. Brock Purdy
He may not be as good as Joe Montana or Steve Young, but he's definitely as good as Jeff Garcia, who was one of my favorite players growing up. It would have been an honor to cover Garcia, just as it's an honor to cover Purdy, and not just because he's such a good competitor. It's an honor to cover Purdy because he's so professional in every way. He takes his job as seriously as anyone in the NFL and he's as mature as a 45-year-old CEO. And he's still down to earth, which is so rare. He'll talk to you in the locker room about anything.
2. Christian McCaffrey
One of the best competitors I've ever covered. McCaffrey excels at everything a running back can do and he gives 100 percent effort all the time, and yet he always seems frustrated with himself about something. Because he's a perfectionist the way Jerry Rice probably was. It's an honor to cover a perfectionist at the top of his game.
3. Trent Williams
Williams isn't necessarily a perfectionist at this stage of his career -- he practices only once a week. But he remains an elite left tackle and he doesn't really have to break a sweat to dominate. He makes his job look effortlessly easy, which it's not. He's one of the most gifted athletes ever regardless of the sport.
4. Charvarius Ward
He's one of the few champions in the 49ers organization -- he won one with Kansas City. Which means he's one of the few players on the team who has the genuine confidence that comes with knowing what it takes to win the biggest game. So he's a leader. And he's the best cornerback the 49ers have had since Deion Sanders. And he's a reader who's extremely intellectual and generous with his insights.
5. Talanoa Hufanga
He's one of the most normal professional athletes I've ever covered. He has a great laugh, a great smile, he's interested in you, asks you questions, says hello, knows your name -- all the things that aren't required from a professional athlete. He comes across as a guy who has a phenomenal relationship with his parents and was raised well. And then he goes on the field and he's a killer. It's an honor to cover someone who can be so gentle and yet so vicious.
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