SAN JOSE – Perhaps it's his size. Or the way he runs. Or maybe it's the color of his skin. Whatever the reason, Kevin Jurovich's relationships with his quarterbacks always have begun the same way.

"Everybody always underthrows me," the 49ers receiver said after a recent workout at San Jose State. "No matter what quarterback I've thrown with, the first few days they'll underthrow me."

Count Alex Smith among that group.

"I've been really surprised by his down-the-field speed," the 49ers quarterback said. "I'm constantly battling to keep the ball in front of him. He can flat-out run."

Jurovich's wheels – he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds before the 2010 draft – certainly will help him when training camp gets under way. But his biggest advantage this season may be the time he's spent with Smith, the 49ers' presumptive starting quarterback.

Perhaps no other 49ers receiver has taken better advantage of the NFL's work stoppage than Jurovich. He's been Smith's most constant target – wideout Josh Morgan is a close second – during player-organized workouts at San Jose State, and the two have developed a strong rapport on and off the field. That bodes well for a receiver who is hoping to make the leap from 2010 practice-squad member to 2011 contributor.

"He's just a really natural receiver," Smith said. "I'm excited for him. I've told him many times that on a personal level I feel really good about what he's going to do this year in camp. I think he's got a great opportunity. I think he's going to wow a lot of people."

Proximity has helped Jurovich's cause.

He grew up in the South Bay and played quarterback at Valley Christian High School in San Jose. During his senior year, the team typically began games with a sly maneuver. Jurovich would slip out wide as a receiver and the coach would send in a sophomore to play quarterback. The kid's assignment: Chuck the ball as far as you can.

Jurovich usually had to wait for the pass to arrive, but he always came down with the ball.

"I describe him as 'sneaky fast,' " recalled Gianni Pattas, a friend of Jurovich's and a running back from that team. "He would run away from people. He burned everybody."

Jurovich went to college at San Jose State, where he holds the school record for career receptions. His relationships with the coaches and training room staff helped smooth things over earlier this year when the 49ers players made San Jose State's weight room and practice fields their de facto home during the lockout.

While playing for the Spartans, he made impressions on both Jim Harbaugh, then the coach at Stanford, and on 49ers teammate Taylor Mays, then a safety at USC.

Against the Trojans in 2009, Jurovich made a big catch on fourth down. A few plays later, Mays approached him and gave him an appreciative whack on the backside.

"We call you 'White Speed' in the film room," Mays said before walking back to the defensive huddle. Jurovich said he and Mays haven't revisited the encounter from last year. "I'm not sure he even remembers me," Jurovich said.

While Mays grabbed headlines before the 2010 draft and was selected in the second round, Jurovich was passed over. He ended up signing as a free agent with the Eagles, but didn't stay long in Philadelphia. On the first day of training camp, he was running a crossing route when he collided with an Eagles linebacker. The linebacker's knee drove into Jurovich's right thigh, which turned purple and ballooned so badly there was no definition between the thigh and kneecap. Jurovich could hardly walk, and the Eagles released him.

The 49ers, meanwhile, were monitoring the situation from afar.

The team had considered drafting Jurovich in the sixth round but ended up selecting Kyle Williams from Arizona State instead. When Jurovich was released, it gave the 49ers a chance to hedge their bets. Jurovich spent the season on the practice squad, and in January the team signed him to a two-year contract.

When Jurovich sat down with general manager Trent Baalke after the 2010 season, Baalke said the 49ers envisioned him as a Wes Welker- Danny Amendola-type receiver, someone who could work out of the slot and make tough catches on third downs.

Because he'd be working in the middle of the field – and encountering more linebackers – Baalke advised him to bulk up during the offseason. Jurovich obliged, packing on muscle and climbing from 185 pounds to 195 pounds.

But while he'd be happy to get work as a slot receiver, Jurovich insists he's also capable of working on the outside where he can use his speed to fool opposing defensive backs.

Smith agrees.

"So much gets made of size in the NFL," Smith said. "But the bottom line is that over the course of a 16-game season, you have to be able to run. There's a lot of guys in the league that don't have size and don't have stature. I mean, you look at DeSean Jackson and guys like that. If you can run, you can make plays."

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