Secondary coach Ed Donatell confirmed what many of us already assumed: Bethea will begin his 49ers career at strong safety and has the ability to line up at free safety. Bethea said he envisions and interchangeable system is which San Francisco can be less predictable with its pre-snap looks. Bethea doesn't want to be a single-high safety, nor does he want to only be a box safety tasked with run-gap responsibilities. The versatility of Bethea and Eric Reid will allow defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to mix up his looks and tailor his defense to the strengths of each safety.

NFL free agency was a big deal for Bethea. He was not recruited heavily out of college, but he was valued highly by the 49ers when the free agency period began. Bethea attended Howard University and was the 207th overall pick in his draft class. "Being able to have a team come talk to you and really want you within the first hour of free agency, it meant a lot," Bethea said. The veteran safety didn't shop around and make visits with any other team. He agreed to terms with the 49ers and signed his contract the following day. Bethea is also different than three of the team's offseason additions in the sense that he's a late-round draft pick joining his second team. Cornerback Chris Cook (34th overall in 2010), quarterback Blaine Gabbert (10th in '11), and offensive tackle Jonathan Martin (42nd in '12) and all were top-50 talents who are looking to better their careers with a second organization.