SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Michael Crabtree exerted extra effort running one of his first pass routes as a San Francisco 49ers wide receiver and then defensive back Nate Clements got in the way.

"He put a lot into it," 49ers coach Mike Singletary said Friday. "He made great moves. But Nate just reads the quarterback and lets him do all those things. Michael turns around and sees Nate catching the ball. He wondered how that could happen after making all those moves that worked in college. It was a reminder this is another level. This is different."

The added attention heaped on the 49ers this week as a result of signing their first-round draft pick to a six-year contract on Wednesday has not been a distraction.

"It's been its own sideshow," Singletary said. "We anticipated that. At this point we are not letting anything take the focus away from what's important."

The 49ers are going to give him time to get assimilated.

Backup quarterback Alex Smith is impressed with Crabtree's desire to learn as much as he can in a short time.

"He is always coming over and asking questions," Smith said. "He takes advantage of the opportunities and sticks with us every chance. He wants to pick up what he can."

The 49ers have their bye week following Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, giving Crabtree the chance to study the playbook and receive extra tutoring.

"He's only been here a few days and he's really trying to keep up," Smith said. "This is the first time he's been working out with a team in a long time. He just doesn't want to make many mistakes.