San Francisco 49ers rookie Eric Reid will start at free safety Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Gate reported Tuesday.
Eric Reid earns starting safety spot with 49ers
Less than five months after being drafted, Eric Reid will start in his first NFL game.
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
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Reid, a first-round pick out of LSU, made his first preseason start Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder went deep against Reid on the first play of the game for a 40-yard pass intended for Greg Jennings that fell incomplete.
The rookie was ready for it.
“I knew it was a possibility,” Reid said. “A rookie safety, so why not throw a bomb on the first play? (Linebacker) Patrick Willis, before that first play, came to me and said, ‘Hey, look, they might want to go deep on you on that first play.’ I had my mind on it. I was kind of expecting that.”
Reid was a first-team All-American at LSU last season as a junior, finishing his final college season with 91 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass break-ups.
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