SANTA CLARA – It was the first weekend of 49ers training camp and C.J. West, one of their defense’s many rookie additions, was struggling with his technique.

Nick Bosa intervened.

“He was like, ‘No matter what you do when you line up, you may step wrong, but regardless of what you do, just get off the ball,’” West recalled this week. “I started to do that and it just came to me. Every rep I take, ‘Just get off the ball.’”

Bosa lived up to his training camp vow to deliver more vocal leadership, even though he’s a captain for the third time in four years and routinely gives team speeches on the eve of games. Still, the 49ers need as much veteran guidance as possible with an influx of youth surrounding him and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.

What they need, too, is Bosa recapturing his 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year form, when he led the league with a career-high 18 ½ sacks.

Bosa wants that, too. Sign him up for more sackaroonies.

“That would definitely be something I’m aiming for. I mean, I’m aiming for everything,” Bosa said. “I’ve reached the pinnacle of … I’ve won Defensive Player of the Year, not that that’s on my mind all the time of doing it again.

“I just want to be dominant and I want to be really thought of as one of the best you’d look for in his league among your peers – coaches and players.”

Bosa feels “a little” forgotten in the NFL’s relentless pursuit of elite pass rushers, as evident by last week’s trade of Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers and an accompanying payday.

“Obviously you have to get stats and be dominant to be thought of in that category,” said Bosa, who has 19 ½ sacks over the past two seasons combined. “I’m not losing sleep over it. I’m losing sleep over trying to get better and help this team.”

And that is where Bosa’s mentorship comes into play. The faster his supporting cast develops, the better he can be.

Defensive lineman Mykel Williams, the 49ers’ first-round pick, has received — and heeded — the most advice from Bosa, the No. 2 overall pick in 2019 and the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.

“Nick’s been great,” said Williams, who is one locker apart from Bosa. “He’s been helping me a lot, helping me with the small things in my game to get better, (such as) hand usage and when to get my hands up. That’s been helping a lot, and with pass-rush, too.”

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said Bosa’s influence goes beyond on-field metrics, such as the offseason maturation of rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins. “He’s had a really big impact on Alfred in terms of his workout regimen, his eating regimen and all that,” Saleh said.

Bosa merely said he checked in with team nutritionist Jordan Mazor, then relayed advice to the 6-foot-5, 309-pound Collins. “He was trying to lose weight. It’s pretty simple so I told him how to do it,” Bosa said.

As obsessed as Bosa is with his own physique, he’s also constantly refining his technique, from mimicking moves like a shadow boxer, to splicing into All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams in practice.

“Nick looks as dominant as he’s ever looked,” Trent Williams said.

Bosa, the 49ers’ sack leader each of the past four seasons, is being paid to dominate offensive tackles and quarterbacks, more than to educate rookies, as nice as it is to maximize his contributions.

Sack masters are forever coveted. It’s why the Green Bay Packers just forked over $46.5 million a year to Parsons in a massive trade with the Dallas Cowboys. It’s why Bosa, two years ago, commanded a then-record $34 million a year.

Bosa has 62 ½ sacks in 80 regular-season starts, plus 10 in 12 playoff games. He’s twice had a three-sack game, and of his 11 multi-sack games, one came in last year’s road opener at Minnesota against Sam Darnold, the 49ers’ 2023 backup and now the Seahawks’ starter this Sunday.

Brought in to complement Bosa are not just the rookies but Bryce Huff, acquired in a trade with Philadelphia, along with incumbents Sam Okuayinonu, Robert Beal Jr. and Yetur Gross-Matos.

Lining up next to Bosa is a unique experience.

“It’s a race with him. It’s a race every time. If you’re not on it, you’re going to see him fly past you,” West said. “We’re teammates but the goal is to compete within the group. You never want to be behind or last. You always want to be the first one there. It’s great playing next to him. You know, he’s spectacular, man.”

Trent Williams concurred: “When he’s on that field he’s the Nick we all know to love. It’s one of the reasons he’s one of the highest-paid defensive players in the league, one of the reasons he has that MVP trophy on his mantle. For me to be able to work with him every day, iron sharpening iron, I’m really lucky, really blessed to have him.”

When Bosa won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019, he benefitted from a strong front that co-starred DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead and Dee Ford. The 49ers haven’t replicated Buckner’s presence since trading him in 2020. Their hope now is that Mykel Williams might come closest, with designs on lining him up as a run-stuffer on the edge but sliding him inside on passing downs like he did at Georgia. Williams says he has no preference and will do whatever defensive line coach Kris Kocurek dials up for him and the line.

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Bosa has helped along the way, not just with the rookies.

“I’m chiming in more in meetings. I’m always talking to guys around the locker room and whatever,” Bosa said. “Whatever I see that comes to my mind during meetings, I’m speaking it and not just keeping it to myself, because Kris (Kocurek, the defensive line coach) can’t cover everything and he’s got a lot on his head. I’m just trying to help out.”

Same goes for wide receiver Jauan Jennings’ month-long holdout from practices, which seems more due to a contract-extension quest rather than a calf issue, seeing how coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that Jennings will play Sunday in Seattle.

“I had a couple of conversations with him. I’m obviously super happy,” Bosa said “He’s came back on Monday and already looked great making plays. That’s huge for us.”