Alex Smith FACED the media right after Shaun Hill did Friday as the 49ers commenced a rookie-oriented minicamp. Needless to say, this isn't the pecking order anyone expected Smith to find himself in four years after living his dream atop the NFL draft stage in New York City.

Smith and Hill are in such a daily battle for the 49ers starting quarterback job that they were among the few veterans who came to do drills with the 40-odd rookies.

With the whiff of last weekend's draft still in the air, my only question for Smith was this: How often does he have flashbacks to Draft Day 2005?

"Every time the draft comes around, it does kind of cause a little reflection. Definitely," Smith answered. "It's weird kind of going on my fifth year. It's crazy that it's gone by that fast.

"So yeah, I definitely reflect back on where I was and how far I've come since, and things I've gone through and things I've learned."

In other words, Smith has been mightily humbled over the past four years. That's not to say he was cocky in 2005. It's just that his career got sidetracked by a combination of shoulder injuries, coaching woes and locker-room clatter.

The fact he's still here, at a reduced pay grade, speaks volumes for his desire to succeed for an organization that made him the 2005's top draft pick. Hard to ROOT against that.

* * * QB derby timeline * * *

Smith's best-case scenario for the starting-quarterback race: Don't drag it out through training camp.

"The longer you carry it on, the more disadvantageous that would be for either one of us, and the team," Smith said. "The earlier that decision is made, the more reps the guy's going to get with the (starters) and get in sync with them. So the earlier the better."

Coach Mike Singletary's take: "We'll just monitor it and be prepared to make a decision sooner than later."

* * * Hill's outlook on 49ers life * * *

Hill is such an easygoing guy, but he knows he's in the thick of a heated competition for the starting job every day he puts on a 49ers uniform and heads to the practice field _ not to mention meetings with new offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye.

Asked if he feels he's battling for his job, he responded: "Every day, that's how it's always been and that's how it will always be."

Hill was quite diplomatic in assessing how the 49ers did in the draft. He clearly didn't want to disrespect the holdovers on the roster, but he admitted he got "excited" about the selection of wide receiver Michael Crabtree with the team's No. 1 pick.

Hill said he came to this rookie orientation to not only get acclimated with Raye's system, but to serve in the leadership role that's expected of a starting quarterback. That's a good answer, one that JaMarcus Russell should follow up the road in Oakland.

* * * Judging the QB race * * *

If the decision on picking a starter comes sooner than later, that means Smith better get on his A game fast to make up for lost time, time that Hill used to perform well in starting the second half of 2008.

Smith says his surgically repaired throwing shoulder has no restrictions, so that's a big positive for him.

Scot McCloughan, the 49ers general manager, is very excited about rookie quarterback Nate Davis, a fifth-round pick out of Ball State who he said performed exceptionally on a coaching-compatibility test. Davis won't be rushed into action though, McCloughan cautioned.

Look for Cam Inman's Web-only "Candid Cam" takes whenever there's a breaking sports story, or whenever Cam's got something to say _ in short, just about every day. You can reach Cam at www.twitter.com/CamInman.