Larry Fitzgerald has seen what Trent Sherfield can do. The former Arizona Cardinals star spent three seasons as Sherifeld's teammate in the desert and knows what the 25-year-old receiver is capable of.
The 49ers signed Sherfield this offseason with plans for him to play mainly on special teams. But Sherfield impressed during training camp and has emerged as a solid receiving option behind Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
Fitzgerald isn't surprised by Sherfield's success and is excited to see his former teammate go to work in the Bay.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“Trent is what every coach dreams of in a player. a man who is immensely talented and has the desire to improve in every facet of his game,” Fitzgerald told The Mercury News' Cam Inman. “He wants to be coached hard daily and held accountable. Trent doesn’t point fingers or make excuses for anything. When he makes a mistake, which is rare, he learns from it and that same mistake doesn’t happen again.
“He knows every single position and is willing and able to play all of them at anytime,” Fitzgerald continued. “His selflessness shows up daily, if it’s picking up a fellow teammates plate in the lunchroom, running a decoy route in practice on scout team or helping raise and mentor his little brother living with him and his wife during the season.
RELATED: Staley explains why Lance will be 'very scary' as 49ers' QB
“He never once complained about the lack of opportunities (with the Cardinals). He was only committed to improving and not allowing the things he didn’t control to chip away at him mentally.
San Francisco 49ers
“The 49ers are getting a player the team, organization and community can all be proud to have. I personally can’t wait for the rest of the league to see what all of us close to him have seen for the past three years.”
In three seasons with the Cardinals, Sherfield caught 28 passes for 340 yards and one touchdown while mostly playing special teams. He hopes to have a more prominent role with the 49ers this season, and Fitzgerald believes he will thrive when given the opportunity.