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SANTA CLARA — Richard Sherman again didn’t mince words when it came to the 49ers starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has Sherman’s stamp of approval, complete with in-depth insights as if Sherman was breaking down Garoppolo’s film with reporters.

Tuesday’s praise was far from Sherman’s scolding of Colin Kaepernick after the 2013 season’s NFC Championship Game, when the Seattle Seahawks cornerback tipped a pass for a game-clinching interception and afterward called out Kaepernick for daring such a pass.

“James is great, man. He’s fun,” Sherman began. He’s been phenomenal around the team. He goes through every single read. His mind works really fast, which is cool to see.

“I’ve had the great pleasure watching him, and I look forward to try to take (the ball) from him a few times.”

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Sherman spoke before taking part in individual drills at minicamp, an encouraging step in his Achilles rehabilitation that has him feeling “light years” better.

Aside from helping the 49ers’ cadre of young defensive backs, Sherman shared what he’s learned from the sideline while watching Garoppolo the past two months.

“He’s very deliberate in his reads, and he doesn’t force it if he doesn’t have to,” Sherman said. “You can see a lot of the things that he learned from Tom (Brady), just going through his progression, going through them quick, going through the triangle, his reads from left to right, taking what the defense gives, not forcing the big play.

“Some quarterbacks get impatient – ‘Man, I’m not getting the deep ball, I’m not getting a big play’ – and they force it and it’s a mistake. A lot of times he doesn’t make that same mistake.”

Kaepernick made that mistake in the 2013 NFC finale, throwing a fade pass into the end zone that Sherman tipped to Malcolm Smith for a game-clinching interception. Afterward, a mic’-d up Sherman said: “Two years in a row, your season ends the same way. You would think he would learn.”

Garoppolo has rarely aired out deep passes during the media’s weekly access to practices, as was the case during Garoppolo’s 5-0 debut last December as the 49ers’ starter. Tuesday, Garoppolo again kept passes in the short and intermediate range, one of which got intercepted by Tyvis Powell.

Clearly noticeable is Garoppolo’s quick release. How quick is it?

“It’s pretty quick,” Sherman said. “It’s not A-Rod (Aaron Rodgers) quick. It’s definitely quicker than most quarterbacks. … When he takes his hand off the ball, you’ve got to be ready to break.”

Three more notes on Sherman:

1.) Even though he is on the NFL Players Association’s executive committee, he says now is not the time to discuss the NFL’s new national-anthem policy requires to stand on the field in respect.

2.) He has no interest, at least Tuesday, in analyzing the Seahawks’ overhaul. “I’m going to focus on the team I’m on and let the chips fall where they may in Seattle. They decided to let me go and pursue another team. Once they cut ties, I cut ties.”